Adler und Phönix
by Senigata
Summary: In the aftermath of the 5th Dead or Alive tournament two friends lament on their loss and, over time, learn more about each other, and the nature of their friendship will be changed - for better or worse - forever. Slice of life-ish. Rated T now, will venture into M later.
1. Chapter 1

_First off, Happy New Year guys! (At least over here)_

_And I want to say that Dead or Alive and all its characters belong to Team Ninja and Tecmo Koei._

_Now that that is out of the way I just want to say that the idea to write a story about this came to after finally getting a new Dead or Alive after so many years and all the stuff I'll write here is basically what comes to my mind, but I hope you'll get some enjoyment out of this. :)_

_Little warning, I'm gonna take a few liberties here because Team Ninja is so cool and doesn't give us specifics._

_Well, enjoy._

**Adler und Phönix**

* * *

Hitomi sighed as she watched the hustle and bustle of the after tournament party, taking a sip from her drink. She usually wasn't the type to drink alcohol but sometimes she made an exception, usually on special occasions.

She was this close to having won the tournament. THIS close. "One more fight and I'll be champion" she had said, but then she sadly lost to the Jet Kune Do master Jann Lee.

A smile formed on her lips. She didn't begrudge his victory, he had earned it, and she liked him in a certain way. They had an understanding in their views of martial arts, and so they went all out in the finale, giving each other no quarter.

In the end he proved himself to be the better one.

_Next time I'm sure of it. Next time I'll be champion,_ the German girl thought and took another sip of her beer. She cast her gaze around the groups of people filling the gala room of DOATECs very own Helena Douglas' New York mansion, where the after tournament party was hosted, trying to find the champion, but found no trace of him. It didn't really surprise her. He had already vanished when he was declared victor and was nowhere to be found, though some people claimed to have seen him around Taylor's Bar.

Another person did catch her eye though and, the smile on her face growing, made her way over to the table where she was sitting, passing a few of the other contestants, giving a nod to Mila, who had been a fierce but fair adversary and a teasing wink to Eliot, because she so enjoyed his flustered reactions.

Her smile dropped when she noticed her Chinese friend looking rather distracted. "Leifang?"

Said girls head snapped into the direction of her voice, taking a few seconds to figure out who just called her. Once she recognized her Hitomi saw her lips turning upward into a smile. "Hitomi," she waved her hand to greet her friend.

Hitomi hesitated for a second before sitting down beside her friend. It seemed like something was bugging her. "Hey"

"Hey" They didn't have much time to talk during the tournament, and the Chinese was rather distracted-looking during the quarters as well.

They both took a sip from their respective drinks, no one saying a thing.

"Well..." Hitomi scratched the back of her head, baring her teeth in an embarrassed grin. "Guess we both belong to the _Lost to Jann Lee_-Club, huh? He sure beat us up good"

Leifang laughed a bit nervously Hitomi noted. "Yeah, I guess so"

"Something wrong?"

Hitomi watched her friend shift around inside her seat before telling her about her fight with Jann Lee, telling her about the train crash and landing on top of him in an embarrassing fashion.

All the brunette could do was laugh, dodging a punch aimed at her shoulder. "That's not funny!"

Oh this was too rich!

"That's...so like you," Hitomi said between laughter. Finally calming down, the odd chuckle here and there escaping she continued. "Worrying about something like that when you were in a TRAIN ACCIDENT! You know I was worried there for a second but seeing as the problem was your bruised pride rather than broken bones I guess everything else is fine"

Her friend's face turned the other way and Hitomi stopped herself from uttering the next jest that was about to slip of the tip of her tongue. "Uhm, everything's IS fine, right? You aren't hurt, are you?" It would explain why she wasn't on her best during the fight against Jann Lee in the tournament. Worry crept into her eyes now, afraid that her friend was hurt or that she might have offended her.

Leifang fingered one of her elaborate braids before sighing and shaking her head. "No I'm alright. It's just...I was so close. So close to beat him again"

Ah and there it was again. Hitomi knew about her friend's obsession with the male martial artist, but figured that after two years it would have subsided. But after how she acted up in South America it was to be expected.

Hitomi leaned back in her chair, taking another sip of her beer. Leifang was rather passionate when it came to her affection towards the man, even though he made it rather obvious that he wasn't interested. But ever since he started to respect the Chinese girl more after having been beaten by her in the last tournament it looked like she had become even more driven in her agenda.

In a way it reminded her of her very own affection for the young man that she found in the Black Wood years ago. But when it was clear that he didn't reciprocate she moved on.

_Still it was good meeting Hayate again,_ she thought, thinking back to their little sparring they had before he moved on with whatever he did.

Before she could drift further down the memory lane her friend snapped her out of her thoughts by suddenly standing up.

"That's it!" she shouted earning curious stares from the surrounding people. "I've made up my mind, no thinking about the guy tonight. Let's go!"

"'Let's go'? Where to?" her answer came in form of her friend grabbing her arm and starting to drag her to the exit. "Hey, hold it my- Shit!"

The glass of beer she was holding slipped from her grip spilling its contents over the floor and leaving her hand sticky with the alcoholic beverage.

"At least let me wash my hand before we go!"

* * *

Somehow having convinced Leifang to stop at the nearest bathroom, which was hard enough once she had made up her mind, the brunette managed to wash the beer of her hand before continuing onwards. She was glad her friend let her follow in her own leisure instead of dragging her wherever she wanted to go.

Outside stood several cars complete with drivers, waiting for the guests to leave the party and wanting to be driven back to the place they were staying.

"Ladies" the young chauffeur - a young college student by the looks of it - opened the door for them to get in. They thanked him before getting in and each gave him a sweet smile that made his face redden a little. He coughed into hand, closed the door and got into the car himself.

Adjusting his hat and grabbing unto the steering wheel he looked at them through the rear mirror. "Where do you want to go, ladies?"

Leifang told him the location she wanted to go before giving her German friend a smile. "I need to change. I can't go around town like this, right?"

Hitomi looked at her enviously. Leifang was wearing a black Cheongsam, which she kept for formal occasions, trading her usual phoenix motif for a floral pattern. But her? She was in her usual jeans and tank top combo and didn't even own a dress that was as fancy as her friend's normal attires, never mind her Cheongsams.

_Must be nice coming from a wealthy family._ But where did she want to go for her to change out of that?

On the way to their destination they talked about this and that to pass the time. After about 20 minutes of driving they came to a halt in front of a hotel. A very fancy hotel, Hitomi noted.

"Would you please wait for us, we won't be long" Leifang asked the driver and before could protest that he was only to bring them back to their hotels he fell victim to another of her smiles, the prospect of driving two pretty young women around too tempting to decline.

The Chinese girl led her friend to the suite - _suite!_ That alone boggled Hitomi's mind - she was staying in and ushered her in. "Sit down, I'm just gonna change real quick"

Hitomi slumped onto the sofa that must have cost more that she spent on her apartment back in Freiburg. Uneasily she checked if her clothes weren't dirty. Finding no traces of dirt that could leave any stains, she made herself comfortable and looked around the room.

Their lodging was taken care of by DOATEC and even though she knew that Hitomi decided to stay in a rather modest hotel. Not so much her friend, who just had to stay in one of the most expensive ones in the city. It even had a kitchenette!

Hitomi wished hers had one.

All this caused her a deja vu of their stay on Zack Island where Leifang had a rather fancy room as well. _That's how the highlife is._

She chuckled to herself. Those were fun times. When Hitomi first entered the Dead or Alive tournament she wouldn't have thought that she would find such a good friend. They had gotten along quite well and when they were tricked by Zack to come to his island they decided to spend their time there together.

By the time of their second Zack Island vacation they were already in steady connection over the internet with each other.

Hitomi never told her, but her friendship helped a great deal in getting over Hayate, who was still Ein to her back then.

Today she looked at him as a dear friend.

She looked at the door of the room Leifang vanished into. Maybe she could do the same for her friend too?

_Yeah, I think I will do that._ The German made up her mind and nodded to herself.

The door opened and Hitomi sighed in relief when Leifang came out wearing her casual black leather outfit with shorts that showed off the Chinese's legs, like most of her clothes did, and she had to admit that they were her friend's best feature. Not that she wasn't beautiful in general. Hitomi found herself rather plain looking.

At least it seemed they wouldn't go somewhere fancy. In fact her friend seemed to be in a rather daring mood, having the zipper of her black leather top opened up to show an ample cleavage.

Her hair was out of her very elaborate hairstyle and pulled into a simple ponytail. The German could never pull that off with her hair that quickly, untangling those braids would probably kill her.

Unconsciously she twirled a strand of her brown hair.

"Ready to go, or do you want to borrow some of my clothes?" the Chinese asked.

"No I'm good. Besides, I wouldn't make your clothes look half as good as you do. So we're going around town?"

"And hitting the clubs. Oh, and let's not forget karaoke! Just what the doctor ordered"

"What doctor?" the German shook her head. But no less than two seconds later both of them grinned at each other.

* * *

"I thin' I drank a little tooooooo much" Leifang giggled, her face flushed as Hitomi helped her through the main hall of the hotel to the elevator, not being able to stand completely on her own. The chauffeur asked if he could assist them at the door but the brunette assured him that she could handle it from here.

_I think he was a little disappointed when he left us._ The German girl had to shift a little to press the button for their destination floor. As the elevator rode up she looked at her friend who was smiling and humming happily to herself.

In the end they hit a few more clubs - and a karaoke bar for good measure - than they should but it was fun to let go like that once in a while too. But whereas Hitomi was only a bit tipsy Leifang would seriously regret it in the morning.

That was rather out-of-character for her friend, but she supposed everyone had to let loose once in a while.

But before that they had to get her into bed.

"Hey, I need your keycard" she said when they reached the door of her room.

"'s in my back pocket"

"Alrighty..." balancing her friend so that she wouldn't fall she trailed her hand down the small of her back, biting her lower lip in concentration. The Chinese giggled even more when Hitomi brushed her butt by accident while trying to fish the card out of her pocket.

After a few more tries, brushing and giggling, she finally managed to get the keycard and couldn't help herself and pumped her left fist in victory.

A few more tries of opening the door later and they entered the suite. Not even bothering with turning on the lights she simply kicked the door shut behind them and helped Leifang to the room where she had changed hours before, figuring that this must be the bedroom.

"Ouch!" her head connected with the wall as she missed the door by a few inches, causing her friend to burst into another giggle fit.

"Aw, shut it" Hitomi murmured and - this time scouting her way with the tip of her foot - helped her into the room. Moonlight shone through the windows, making it easier for her to find her way around. Like the rest of the suite it was rather expensive looking, though not as orderly because the clothes her friend wore earlier today were thrown across the room. She wasn't too surprised that the Chinese also had a queen size bed.

"And here we go!" she helped her friend on the bed, laying her down in a comfortable position. She sat down on its edge and removed the leather boots of her friend's feet.

"Thankyouuuu," Leifang slurred before bursting into another giggle fit and smiled at her friend. She patted the free space beside her. Hitomi raised an eyebrow in question "C'mon stay"

Hitomi wanted to tell her that it was fine but something in her friend's eyes made her decide against it. Besides it wasn't the first time that they've shared a bed. _I wonder if the room service is any good here,_ she added as an afterthought, removed her own boots and lied down beside her friend who didn't waste any time to cuddle up to her.

"G'night" and no two seconds later the Chinese was off into dreamland

"Good night" Hitomi muttered and closed her eyes. Before she drifted off to sleep she reminded herself to have a talk with Leifang the next morning.

The next morning she awoke to the sounds of her friend of was groaning into one of the pillows that Hitomi found so comfortable that she didn't want to get up and rather just wanted to close her eyes and sleep the day away.

Another muffled groan and she knew that sleep wouldn't come back anymore. She ran and hand through her tussled hair and noticed that her pink hairband was missing from its usual place.

"Morning" she greeted her friend who just groaned a third time. Chuckling to herself she got up from the bed, marched over to the large window and drew the curtain shut. With light steps she returned to the embrace of the bed and its comfy pillows. "You can take it off, there's no sunlight anymore"

Like testing the waters Leifang lifted the pillow off her face and looked at her friend. Hitomi winced slightly when she saw the state the other girl was in. Bloodshot eyes, her hair all over the place and her lips dry. It looked like a classic case of a Grade B hangover, but nothing a bit of sleep and something to drink couldn't cure in a couple of hours.

"Wait. I'll get you something to drink. Got any painkillers?"

"Somewhere in my case, the red one I think"

_Red one!?_ Hitomi noticed that Leifang had brought a _few_ more clothes to the tournament. To put it mildly that is. _I guess traveling lightly isn't something she'll ever get._

She walked back into the main room and looked through the cupboards for a glass. After that she looked for the painkillers, which she eventually found. Not in the red one, but the green one.

"Here take this" she said, handing her friend the glass of water and the pills for her headache.

"Thanks," Leifang downed the pills and laid down onto the bed again. "I feel terrible"

"That's what happens when you drink too much, so what's the plan?"

"Staying in bed for the day. Yeah, that sounds great"

"I think that's a good plan too. You might want change out of those clothes first though"

Rubbing her temples for a few seconds the Chinese sat upright and just stripped down to her underwear, throwing her clothes to the floor like they offended her. Knowing her, they probably did.

"Should I leave you alone, or do you want me to keep you company?"

"Do what you want, as long as I can sleep" her friend muttered and threw a pillow at her.

Giggling Hitomi striped down to her undies and climbed into the bed, snuggling into the sheets and pillows, wiggling her toes. "Don't think I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart, these pillows are awesome!"

"Whatever..." Leifang muttered and threw the blanket over them.

_Even more comfy!_ She could get used to this.

* * *

_Behold, Hitomi shows her true colors! I always knew she was just hanging out with Leifang because of that!_

_I want to thank everyone that takes time to read this and I want to take the chance to give a big thank you to my beta, keep on rockin' buddy and Happy New Year!._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

As comfortable as the bed was, after 2 hours of just lying around in it and listening to her friend's soft snoring she _was_ getting rather bored.

Hitomi looked at her friend, who was totally out cold. Nope, no way of getting her out of bed anytime soon.

She was struck by an idea and a smile formed on her lips. She got out of bed, careful not to wake Leifang, gathering her clothes quietly and put them on. It took her a little moment to find her missing hairband but she managed to find it hidden under the pillows.

_Thought you'd start a little affair without telling me?_ She chuckled to herself putting it in place after brushing her hair with a brush she found lying around. Taking the keycard of the suite, from where she had discarded it the night before, she left the hotel.

She'd need to go to her hotel, but she thought it was going to be a nice surprise. Luckily she knew her way around this part of the city and just took the next bus that would take her to a few minutes distance from where she was staying.

Once she arrived at her room she took a quick shower and put on a fresh set of clothes after which she started looking through her traveling case.

"Ok I need this, this aaaaand this" she said to no one in particular as she pulled out her kitchen utensils. A long time ago she learned to rely on her own cooking when staying in a rather cheap hotel and while this place - never mind Leifang's - was rather good, but there was nothing like a nice, home cooked meal and she was sure her Chinese friend would appreciate it.

Putting them into a small duffel bag she noticed the picture frame that dropped onto the floor. Picking it up, she smiled at the picture.

The picture had to be about 13 years old now and featured herself and her parents. Back then her father's hair was still the same color as her own and her mother was still alive.

Hitomi slid her fingers over the picture and lingered on the black haired, beautiful japanese woman, whom the young Karateka sadly didn't resemble much; she was all German with her brown hair and blue eyes. She didn't talk about her very much but she missed her mother, though the woman would probably be slightly disappointed of her daughter, since she wasn't too big on her Japanese heritage.

Looking at it a little longer she put it back securely inside the case and hoisted the duffel bag over her shoulder and left the Hotel, but not before asking where she could buy groceries nearby.

* * *

"Hmm, no that one's no good" the German girl murmured, putting the cabbage back down and immediately started inspecting another one. If she wanted to make a good salad she needed the best quality and thus far she wasn't very impressed.

A certain friend back in Germany would just call her way too picky, but seeing how most of their food consisted of instant food and the odd freshly cooked food here and there that _she_ made for them, they weren't in the position to point any fingers.

Sometimes she thought if she didn't like cooking as much as she did her friend would have long since starved or gotten sick from all the unhealthy junk.

She seriously couldn't wait to get back home. Traveling around the world training – courtesy of a certain friend that was still sleeping off her hangover - and participating in a tournament was fun and all but there's no place like home after all.

Besides, she was getting behind in her studies.

"This one will do" finding a cabbage that met her expectations she put it into the cart where the rest of the ingredients were already laid out, taking a look at everything she had bought, counting off everything in her mind, using her fingers to see if she didn't miss anything.

"That should be everything" she nodded and went to pay up.

After paying for them she made her way to the nearest bus station, dodging people here and there on the busy streets.

Hopefully her friend would still be sleeping when she came back to the suite.

Chuckling to herself, she had to think of the first time she actually had cooked something for her. That was after they fought over the cabbage the nice old shopkeeper was selling.

That event showed that both of them could be quite stubborn when it came to certain things but in the end they laughed about it and enjoyed a nice meal. Though the Chinese never gave her an answer as to why she even wanted that cabbage in the first place and it was grating Hitomi to this day.

_I'll get my answer one day._

Leifang had told Hitomi a little of her private life back then too. How her parents were wealthy and gave her a lot of leeway as long as she didn't damage the reputation of their family name, which apparently was one that came with a lot of weight. Her father was rather strict when it came to that and while he was in favor of her being a Martial Artist, even actively encouraging it, there was once a case where he had explicitly forbidden her to practice it. She didn't know the details but it couldn't have been all too bad, since, after a while, he had given her his permission to let her practice again.

But that had been years ago.

The brunette didn't know if that was either a good or a bad thing but seeing how her friend was fine she wasn't one to judge. Though she could see that Leifang's father would probably not be very pleased if he learned that his daughter was borderline stalking after another martial artist, renowned he might be.

Sighing she remembered that she wanted to talk to her about it.

_Over lunch,_ she thought. _Over lunch._

By the time she came back it was already turning afternoon. Placing everything she brought onto the kitchen counter as she walked past it to the door of the bedroom.

Hitomi opened the door quietly and peered inside to see her friend still being asleep. She couldn't keep the grin of her face when she saw that she hugged her pillow like it was her favorite teddy bear, she only needed to drool and it would've been priceless.

Biting her lower lip she got an idea, took out her cellphone and pointed the camera at her friend.

_Gotcha!_ She looked at the picture for a few seconds and saved it. It could be useful if she ever needed something to incriminate her friend, or just rile her up a little bit.

Snickering to herself she closed the door quietly and went into the kitchenette, cracking her knuckles as she walked and started washing her hands.

"Alrighty, let's do this!" she said, firing herself up

* * *

**_What no one knows is that Hitomi will send this picture to the next boulevard magazine! For shame!_**

_Crap, this chapter turned out shorter than I thought, and I'm usually pretty anal about that. Oh well, I just have to make that up with a longer chapter another time._

_Sorry for anyone who thinks those two will get busy rather quickly, but from my current estimate this could take a little while, I'm having ideas after ideas how this can go here.  
Until next week then!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Leifang was still off in dreamland when the smell of something delicious reached her nostrils, making them flare by themselves.

Slowly opening her eyes she smacked her lips and stiffly sat up, stretching to remove the stiffness. Her head was still feeling fuzzy but at least her headache was gone.

But man was she thirsty. Taking a moment to gather her bearings she got up from the bed and was glad that her legs didn't give out on her. Her bare feet padded on the floor as she walked across the room, kicking her clothes out of the way absentmindedly, following the delicious smell.

Opening the door she saw her German friend standing in the kitchenette cooking away while whistling a cheerful tune. Only when she sat down near the counter did her friend realize her presence.

"Up and awake, honey?" the German stuck out her tongue and winked at her. "Too bad and here I was thinking of delivering this to your bed side. I hope you're hungry"

Leifang's stomach's rumbling answered before she could.

"Yeah and something to drink would be nice" she giggled, resting her face on her hands.

Hitomi reached into her back and pulled out a bottle of apple juice. "Here you go"

"Thanks. Mmh smells delicious" the Chinese opened the bottle and took a long sip from it. "Aah, I needed that! What are you cooking?"

"Nothing fancy, just some omelets and I also made a fresh salad" She pointed over her shoulder to where the salad was already standing and grabbed a knife to put into the sink. "Hands off!" she waved the knife in her friend's face in a mock threatening manner. "I just added the salad dressing."

"Yes, Mom" both of them burst into laughter.

Leifang cocked her head to the side. "So why not just call the room service?"

"Simple: my food just tastes better!"

"It does smell delicious and the last time you cooked it wasn't half bad"

"'Wasn't half bad'? The way I remember it you said something along the lines of 'Oh Hitomi this tastes simply amazing! I have never eaten some lie'- Hey!" she gave her best impression of the Chinese and dodged a piece of the cabbage that had fallen from the cutting board onto the counter. "No throwing things at the chef"

"I'm letting you get off easy this time, but only because I'm not in top shape" Leifang huffed and took another sip from the bottle.

They stared at each other for a moment before smiling.

"Dammit, I should pay attention to the omelets!" Hitomi turned back to the frying pan. "Why don't you go take a shower and put something on? This should be ready when you're finished"

"A shower _does_ sound good"

Taking another sip she put the bottle back onto the counter and returned to the bedroom, grabbing her favorite bathrobe and heading to the bathroom.

"Aaah. That hit the spot. Thank you Hitomi, I don't think I would have managed without you. I was pretty out of it yesterday" They were sitting at the table having just finished their late lunch. By the time Leifang was done with her shower the food had already been prepared so she didn't bother putting on new clothes and just sat down in her bathrobe.

* * *

"Speaking of that, you usually know your limits" the brunette looked at her friend, worry adamant in her eyes.

Leifang averted her gaze. "I guess it was just the...disappointment. Yeah that was it"

Hitomi looked at her suspiciously for a second. Sighing she put down her fork. "Listen, about that. How many years has it been now that you started to chase Jann Lee?"

"Seven. Maybe eight. It's been a long time."

"Now I don't want to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but don't you think it's about time to let it go?" the younger girl asked. "Even though you have beaten him he rejected your other advances didn't he?"

Leifang didn't answer right away. "Yeah he rejected me..."

"Maybe it would be a good time to move on" Hitomi put her hand on top of her friend's, making the older girl look at her. Smiling she continued. "I know it isn't easy to let someone go, especially after such a long time. I had to do the same during the last tournament"

The Chinese sighed. "It isn't that simple"

"Maybe not" Hitomi smiled. "But I'll help you. We may not always see each other but we'll be in contact"

Turning her hand around so that her palm faced upward she laced her fingers through her friend's. She let herself smile. It was nice having a good friend like Hitomi. The friends she had in China were mostly due to association with her father than anything else, so it made her friendship with the German girl all the more special.

"I guess you're right" she admitted at last.

It wasn't often that Leifang would admit someone else was right when she was determined. "If I'm not wrong, then I must be right!" was her motto and in a way Hitomi liked that way of thinking in her friend. It made her do things that the German would never do.

"As right as about my cooking skills!"

Both of them had to laugh at that.

"How long are you going to stay now that the tournament is over?" Hitomi's smile faded and she let go of her friend's hand.

"The day after tomorrow. And you?"

"I was thinking of staying a few more days"

"My entrance exams are coming up. Actually my father was against me even joining the tournament in the first place with them so close and our little training trip to South America, while fun, didn't help matters. Hey! Shouldn't you have to study as well?"

Leifang ran an elegant fingernail along the bridge of her nose. "I'm kind of taking a break from studying..."

Hitomi looked at her friend in disbelief before sagging into her chair groaning and rubbing her forehead, crunching her face up in frustration. "You know I wish I was as rich as you. Then I wouldn't have to worry about all the stuff"

"Uh thank you I guess. Why did you decide to study anyway? I thought you wanted to take over your father's dojo before long?"

"I still do, but ever since my father got sick two years ago I asked myself 'what if that happens to me? What if I'm not so lucky and cannot practice the art anymore?' That's why I figured getting a higher education might come in handy if I ever need it" She brushed a few loose strands behind her ear. "And since he got better I took the chance to study"

"I see," Leifang nodded and slapped her right hand unto the table, showing pearl white teeth with her cheerful grin "So let's have fun while we still can!"

And since it was Leifang there was no way that Hitomi could object even if she wanted to. The Chinese had a way that just made you want to go along with her – sometimes rather selfish - plans. The second Leifang offered to train with her for the Tournament it was _goodbye time better spent on studying _and_ here we go fun and action!_

_But,_ Hitomi thought. _It was totally worth it._

* * *

"I'll write as soon as I can when I get back home. Promise" Hitomi told her as they walked to the bus station. The German was pulling her traveling case behind her.

"Too bad you have to get back; it's always fun with you around"

"And it's never boring with you" both of them had to giggle. Leifang was always the more spontaneous of the two and she usually tended to do what she wanted. It fell to the German to help her stay grounded.

Hitomi checked her watch. She still had time and decided to get to the airport early, but now that they were on their way she felt something tugging inside her, wanting her to spend more time with her friend. They wouldn't get to see each other for a while after this...

Looking around she spotted a park on the other side of the street. The smile on her face grew.

She grabbed her friend by the hand and pulled her along over the street when the lights were green.

"Hey, the bus stop is over there!"

"I know, but since we won't be seeing each other for a while," they stopped on a patch of grass that was clear of any passerby that could interrupt. She let go of her friend and sat her case aside. Pulling off her denim jacket she went into her karate stance. "I figured we could spar for one last time"

Leifang's eyes twinkled in response, taking a few steps backwards, away from the young Karateka. Positioning herself sidewards, she crouched slightly and kicked her right leg out, entering her stance and exposing part of her leg from under her white skirt.

As she drove her high heels into the grass to steady her stance, Hitomi found herself unable to take her eyes of her friend's finely shaped leg.

Only when she saw the leg jumping at her in a kick did she snap her attention back to the fight at hand.

"Osu!"

* * *

When they made it to the Airport they were still good on time and spent the rest of the time in a small café that, to Hitomi anyway, served one of the best cappuccino she ever had. It couldn't compare to the one she occasionally had at home, but it was still good.

They were just making small talk when the announcement for Hitomi's flight came over the loudspeakers.

Leifang decided to accompany her as far as she could before saying goodbye.

Smiling, both girls captured each other in a tight hug. "Take care of yourself and don't forget to write." adding as a playful threat, "I'll check my mails everyday"

"Sure, if you manage to actually answer with that silly phone of yours" Hitomi chuckled. They hugged until another announcement for the flight to Germany made them let go of one another.

"Well...Goodbye, Leifang"

"Goobye, Hitomi"

She walked towards the gate, pulling her case alongside her, and turned around before entering to flash her friend her typical V-sign a final time with a cheerful smile.

Somehow she wanted to hug her friend a little longer...

The first thing she did when she arrived back home was to write Leifang and by the time the German had slept off her jet lag she even managed to answer.

* * *

**_LESBIANS!  
There I said it...no regrets.  
_**

**_Sorry no awesome fight scene between Hitomi and Leifang here because while I'm pretty good with 'tomi I just plain suck balls with Leifang and can't seem to remember how her moves actually look like, so unless I have a vid running constantly in the background of her fighting I won't write one.  
...For now.  
_**

**_Also jeez Leifang, eight years. Stalker much?  
_**

**_Well until next week.  
_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4  
**

* * *

The streets of Freiburg were as empty as ever at this time of day. The town wasn't exactly buzzing with life with its roughly 220.000 inhabitants so nightlife was pretty much non-existent. The fact that it was a workday didn't help any matters either. The city was mostly known for its University after all, not for its nightclubs.

Tomorrow Hitomi would have her entry exams at the Albert Ludwig University and she seriously hoped that she was ready; else it would mean another try next year. Two weeks had passed since she returned from the. Two weeks filled with studying and pretty much nothing else apart from part-timing at her father's dojo.

When she returned, her father greeted her with mixed feelings. Of course he had berated her for neglecting her studies, but he was also very proud of her for making it so far in the Dead or Alive tournament so he went easy on her. After all, her becoming 2nd did cause a lot of new students to join, so it was hardly without gain for him.

Tonight though she was nervous and unable to get some sleep for over an hour, so she decided to get in some extra training; maybe that would calm down her nerves and make her get some sleep. The brunette rode her bike around the corner taking a look at her wristwatch.

11:23p.m.

_This is just great_ she thought, letting out a sigh. She had taken her studying a bit overboard the last few days and this was probably why she was nervous in the first place.

She slowed her bike down when she reached her father's dojo, kicked down the kickstand and got off of it in one fluid motion. Her right hand went into her pocket, fishing out her keys. Locking the bike in place she made her way to the front door.

_He forgot to lock the door again_; she shook her head as the door opened as soon as she pushed it slightly. One day her father would forget his head even though it was attached to his body.

Hitomi loved the dojo. This was where she spent most of her childhood, practicing the art, and it was filled with happy and sad memories alike. Here she proved to her father that she was an independent adult. This was also where she fell in love with Hayate's persona Ein before he vanished all too suddenly after the second Dead or Alive tournament, only to appear again as the ninja she knew now. It had been a long time since then and while it did hurt initially she let her romantic feelings go.

Just inhaling the air inside its rooms calmed her down considerably.

She went and changed into her Gi and started her workout. It was a practiced routine that she kept up for god knows how long and this time was no different from the others. Too bad she didn't have a tiger to scare this time around. That had been fun.

With a stomp of her foot that made the wooden floor shake a little, she entered a firm stance and closed her eyes, inhaling the smell around her and letting it engulf her senses. How long she stood like this she didn't know but when she opened her eyes her father was standing in the doorway, dressed in brown slacks and his favorite teal colored shirt, strong arms crossed in front of his chest.

Years ago his hair had been the same color as hers, but with his 48 years he had long since lost the color in it and his hair – which he always kept short - as well as the trimmed mustache were a silvery gray that was almost white in color.

But he was still a mountain of a man that could take on people half his age. In Hitomi's opinion he would look at least ten years younger if he would just shave off that beard. But that was a lost cause.

His blue eyes looked kindly at her. "Hitomi..."

"Papa."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Realized you forgot to lock the door?" this made the man smile as if he was expecting that answer, guilty as charged and all that. "Yes. I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow and I thought training for a bit would help me."

"Want me to spar with you for a bit?"

She shook her head. "Mm-mh. I'm fine now. Practicing my katas for a bit helped a lot. I'll just hit the shower and then get going." It was an appealing thought.

"Good, wouldn't want you to beat me up. I'm way too old to be getting beaten up by my own daughter," Her father chuckled, uncrossing his arms, and walked into the room. "I'll wait till you're finished. Might as well use the time to get some equipment ready for tomorrow's lesson."

Hitomi walked out of the room to the female locker room, gathering her clothes before heading into the showers. She washed the sweat from her body real quick, dried herself and changed back into her street clothes, putting her training clothes back into her sports bag.

Her Father was waiting at the entry of the dojo by the time she got out of the locker room.

"There, now it's locked." he said after locking the door when they were outside. Hitomi noticed his old BMW standing nearby. She herself was no fan of cars and didn't bother to get a license. She rather trusted her legs.

Noticing that his daughter was looking at the car the man asked "It's late. Do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, I have my bike after all."

"Are you sure? We could just put it in the trunk, you know."

"Yeah, I'm sure Papa."

"Alright, but no detours. I want you to go straight home young lady."

"Aye aye, sir." She mock saluted. Father and daughter looked at each other for a second before sticking out their tongues. He leaned forward and gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead. His mustache always tickled her skin when he did that, making her giggle.

Her father was a good man, even if he could scare people at first sight. Back when she had found Hayate he took the young man in without question helping where he could, teaching him the art of Karate. When he got better again from his sickness and Hitomi decided on studying he wanted to pay for it without question, since her job as a waitress wouldn't have provided her with enough money. She had hardly gotten by back in the day before she decided to study.

They argued heavily on the topic since she didn't want run right back to him because of something like that. In the end they decided that she would get money from him for being a part-time instructor in the dojo and would only get the standard salary with no bonus because she was family. Also she knew her father could need the help and for all he had done for her, it was time to give something in return.

That she was paid for the help was second in her agenda but it provided her with enough money to keep her afloat way better than before, so that was good as well.

And the prize money of becoming runner-up in the tournament helped a lot too. Studying did cost a lot, so much in fact that some people had to take on loans from the state to do it. But with the money she won that was one less thing to worry about. She would only use it for study fees though; the rest would be safely stored in her savings account for emergencies.

She didn't want rely on it too much and she rather bought things with money she earned, so she wouldn't start getting lazy and dependent. After all she couldn't always win tournaments.

Of course if she ever needed a bit more 'buy' money, she could just do some additional waitressing again.

"Good night." he said.

"Good night." Hitomi watched her father enter his car and drive away before unlocking her bike and making her way home.

Back in her apartment she put her trainings clothes into the laundry and went straight to bed. This time she was able to sleep.

* * *

She woke up bright and chipper on the next day, feeling completely refreshed and with that good mood she ate breakfast and after that took a nice long shower.

She should have skipped on the long shower though, as she found out when she walked back into her living room. Her clock was saying it was 7:35 a.m.

"Shit!" Hitomi swore under her breath, dropped the towel that hung around her body and ran stark naked into her bedroom. She flung open her drawer, grabbed the first pair of panties and a bra she could find and put them on hurriedly. Right now she didn't care that they weren't matching.

She looked around and found her jeans lying over the chair by her desktop, quickly grabbed them and put them on.

Not bothering with a shirt and socks Hitomi just put on her brown boots and grabbed her green and white trainings jacket with the black H on the left breast side putting it on while leaving for the door, making sure to zip it up so that no one would notice her lack of shirt, stumbling over the carpet on the way there and landing on her knees.

"Damn it." she grumbled to herself as she got up.

Grabbing her keys and bag she left the apartment and ran down into the bicycle storage room to get her bike.

She raced down the streets with neck-breaking speed, ignoring the traffic lights wherever she could without running in danger of getting hit by a car or being stopped by the police. A ticket would've been just what she needed.

"Sorry!" she shouted, barely dodging a passerby who promptly threw a few insults after her.

Hitomi looked at her watch. She still had 8 minutes. Looking ahead she saw the University not far. _I can still make it!_

After arriving she took a few seconds to lock her bike, ran down the hall and up the stairs. The room she was supposed to be was on the 2nd floor.

_216...216...21-Ah there!_ The brunette dashed forward, dodging the other people in the hallway followed by more than one _Excuse _me by her. Slowing down she slid across the floor right into the room.

_Am I too late?!_ She looked around frantically, only to see several people sitting in their seats giving her questioning looks. The professor who would overlook their exam was nowhere to be found. Breathing out a sigh of relief she walked to one of the free seats and sagged into it.

"Safe!" she muttered to herself. She opened her bag and pulled out her pencil case as well as her reading glasses that she had to use since she was 16. Putting them on her nose she adjusted them slightly. The young Karateka slapped both her hands against her cheeks to focus herself. _Alrighty, I__'__m set! _Hitomi then noticed that the shoulders of the person before her were shaking in silent laughter. She wanted to ask what was so funny but the person was already turning around in their seat.

"Hey Hit-girl. Nice to see you gracing us with your presence"

"Ah! Viktor, so you decided to take the exam as well?"

The young man sitting there was Viktor Hager. She met him years ago when he took the basic Karate course in her father's dojo and they've been friends ever since. As it so happens he was also her neighbor and in fact he was the one that had gotten her the apartment in the first place, vouching for her to the company that sold the apartments – lucky for her having made 3rd place back then.

He was a thin guy, a little on the wiry side, but towered over her a good head, with fair skin that seemed to never get a tan. His black hair was in his usual neat and at the same time lazy style with it parting exactly in the middle of his head. His glasses sat on his nose, looking like they would drop off any second and were only hindered by their own laziness.

In fact everything about the young man screamed lazy. Apart from his hazel eyes. Those shone with bright intelligence.

If you just looked at him you would never guess that the guy could understand Japanese even better than Hitomi did, at least when it came to writing and reading it. But that was probably only because the guy was a major japanophile. She contented herself with speaking the language fluently.

"Yeah. As fun as it was these past few years getting my hands dirty with _actual_ work I figured it was about time to broaden my horizons so that one day I get paid for doing pretty much nothing." He chuckled. "Now seriously, though. Haven't seen you around since you came back. What gives?"

"Well some of us have to study." The girl huffed. "And I had to pick up the slack after my training trip. It didn't leave me much time for lounging around town."

"Ah, so THAT was why you left in such a hurry. Gotta give you back your spare key later by the way."

"Thanks again for watering my plants."

He waved it off. "No problem really. A training trip makes sense I guess, but on such a short notice?"

"My friend insisted, and she can be rather...pushy when focused on something."

"Friend?" he looked at her quizzically for a moment. "The one you told me about, that Chinese girl?"

Hitomi nodded. "Leifang."

Viktor leaned forward, putting his elbows on top of her desk. "Oooooh, tell me tell me. You never went into detail. Is she a bombshell?"

"I don't think I'm the right one to answer that, you know." That wasn't exactly right. She was a bit envious of her friend's looks, especially the nice legs. But that didn't mean she could quite determine if she was a _bombshell_.

"No fun!" he hung his head in defeat. His fist slammed down onto her table making a few of the other inhabitants look over to the two.

"There there." The brunette patted his head.

"Ugh whatever." He leaned back into his chair. "Congrats on becoming runner-up on the tournament."

"You saw that?"

"Of course, ran in TV after all. But I only watched when it was your go. You sure showed butch and pretty boy how it feels to get their asses kicked."

"They were quite the good fighters"

"But you still beat them up. And then that Bruce Lee wannabe came along, you know...whatshisface?"

"Jann Lee" He gave her a look that asked if she was ribbing him.

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Holy shit," Viktor held back a snort of laughter. "I really don't know what to say about that. Anyway that was a real good fight; I actually stood up in my seat."

He gesticulated like he always did when he retold something. "And then when I thought you had him _'__ATOOOOOOOWWWWW__'_ and you went flying from that kick in the face."

The girl rubbed her face, feeling it sting just from the memory. "Damn that hurt."

"Well everything seems to be in place, so I guess it's alright." Before he could continue the Professor walked into the room. "Catch you later."

"Good day ladies and gentlemen." He said and cleared his throat to get the last few people that were whispering to each other to stop. "This test will determine who will be admitted and join the summer semester, so it would be wise to keep your attention to the test and not each other."

_Now or never!_ Hitomi thought as the man rambled on.

* * *

2 hours later Hitomi and Viktor were sitting outside the building, on the stairs.

"Oh man, I'm burned out." Hitomi gave a defeated sigh. She felt like her brain was fried, but at least it seemed she did well enough.

"Yeah" Viktor concurred. "That was fucked up"

"You had a hard time as well?" She chuckled.

"Fuck no"

Hitomi furrowed her eyes and punched him in the arm. "Why're you saying it then?!"

"Ouch!"

He rubbed the spot she hit, rolling his eyes. His right hand went into his pocket, pulling out a package of cigarettes. "Cig?"

"No thanks."

"Fine by me." He pulled one out with his teeth. "Figured you wouldn't, what with the health tick you got going."

"Hey, what's wrong with being healthy?"

"Nothing, but the day I die I'd rather be a little unhealthy. At least I know what to blame then."

"With that attitude that day will be sooner rather than later."

"Thanks, mom. I don't think I would'v- OW!" She punched him again, the same spot.

"Come on, let's grab something to eat. I'm a bit hungry."

"Hit-girl, I think I can agree with you on that one."

After having eaten, both of them returned home. Their Apartment building was a small one, having only three floors with about a dozen apartments. Hitomi liked it. Everyone knew everyone and they were all friendly.

"Oh yeah, old granny Dumas made some cookies the other day. Pretty tasty. I think you need to get your groove going or else she might win."

Hitomi giggled at that. The old lady and her had a friendly rivalry when it came to cooking and baking and would often share some of their food with the other residents.

Both of them parted ways at their respective apartments but not before Viktor handed over her spare keys. "See ya, Hit-Girl" She once asked him why he called her like that but he just gave her his usual smile that looked like it was a joke only he got.

Back inside she decided to get some laundry done and after that was finished fired up her PC to check her mails.

_Wonder what Leifang is up to._

* * *

_**Hitomi's father is a pretty cool guy, eh? Sports a pornstache and doesn't afraid of anything.**_

_**So yeah I added an OC with Vik here, figured I had to resort to those eventually if I wanted to describe our two main character's private life a bit and I can't just shoehorn the whole Dead or Alive cast into the story.**_

_**Well until next week then.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"Ma'am would you like something to have something drink?" Leifang couldn't see who was speaking to her but the voice was distinctively feminine. Her eyes were closed letting all her other senses take the lead in perceiving her surroundings, most of all smelling. "No, thank you."

"Very well, please call if you need anything." She heard footsteps and a door being closed, leaving her alone again.

The Chinese was at one of her favorite spas that was located in a small town just 50 minutes away from Hong Kong by train. It provided its customers with various services of which the aroma therapy was most important to her.

It became an insider's tip in the past few years that she frequented the establishment. Sometimes she would get an aroma massage but today she contended herself with just lying around and letting the smell of Melissa do its magic on her mood, which had been in a bit of flux ever since her last...encounter with Jann Lee.

She just didn't know what to feel anymore. After having been rescued by the man it was her life's goal to beat him to prove that she was a person that didn't need any help, but every attempt ended with another defeat and cold distaste. Until the fourth tournament, where she managed to beat him and earned his respect.

It should have ended there but it didn't. She wanted to fight and beat him again, becoming a part of his world. The fifth Dead or Alive tournament came as a sort of blessing, giving her exactly that chance.

It wasn't meant to be, though. But their encounter in the train was...she didn't know how to place it or what to feel...

Maybe Hitomi was right, maybe it was time to let it go. But at the same time she felt that there might be a chance for them.

It was too confusing to think, so she had decided to get herself some down time after her friend went back to Germany. That had been a few months ago and she had been here and there ever since.

Hitomi had mailed her daily of course, keeping their steady contact, and with that she had learned that the brunette had been accepted into university and was settling in good enough.

'_It__'__s a bit hard, but I think I can manage. Osu! ^_^v__'_She had written. Leifang knew how hard it was to study so she could empathize with her.

There was a knock on the door before she heard it open slowly.

"Excuse me," soft footsteps approached her. "There is a call for you, Miss"

"I wish not to be disturbed right now." Leifang said in a tone that left no room for arguments.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. But your mother wishes to speak with you on the phone"

The Tai Chi Quan prodigy opened her eyes with a sigh, looking at the woman in front of her. She was smaller than her and looked rather introverted. She had the phone in her hand.

"All right." The attendant handed the phone to her and walked over to the door, leaving her to talk with the woman on the other line but dutifully staying close enough to take the phone back as soon as the call was over.

She raised it to her ear and closed her eyes again. "Hello mother, nice to hear from you."

"Nice to hear from you too. After all you didn't call even once." Spoke the dignified voice from the other line.

"I'm sorry I just really needed some time alone."

"I'm sure you did. It still would have been nice if you called, especially when you are back in Hong Kong." Her mother said accusingly.

"I visited your estate, but neither of you two were around so I just returned to my place. I assume Zhen told you of my presence." Jin Zhen was her personal housekeeper that cleaned up her place and also cooked for her.

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have known were to call after all."

"And what's your reason for calling me?"

"When will you continue your studies?" Of course right to the matter; that was so like her mother. She was strictly against her taking a break, even though she already had a diploma on her wall; it just wasn't the one everyone wished her to have.

Economic politics was all well and good, and would help her in the long run, but she knew they'd rather see one for business management.

"Whenever I feel like it. I think I deserve a break and it's not like I'm only staying at home doing nothing." Leifang said, keeping calm and relaxed thanks to the aromatic atmosphere of the room.

"No instead you gallivant around the world and fight in tournaments."

"Not this again."

"Don't forget that you are a Gāo. The name comes with a lot of responsibilities." How many times did she hear that line now?

Leifang was the daughter of Gāo Jintao the CEO of one of China's biggest conglomerates and a prominent public person, who was known for his stoic and stern demeanor, and Gāo Zeng with whom she was in the midst of talking.

"Father is THE Gāo at the moment, I'm just his only daughter."

"And his heir," her mother reminded her. "And if you wish to succeed him one day you need to get your act together eventually. He won't be around forever."

In any other situation Leifang would have scoffed openly. "The way things are going he will probably outlive us all." Before her mother could retort that statement she continued. "Mother, please. I will resume my studies, I promise, but I'm still young and father would never dream of letting me handle any of the business as long as he is still around. He is far too proud for that."

She waited for a moment to let her mother say something but when nothing came she added, "So for the time being I will take it easy and be the good daughter that won't do anything that tarnishes her father's reputation."

"Very well." Zeng said with a sigh of resignation. "How are you dear?"

Leifang smiled, underneath it all her mother was a loving person. "I'm fine. Maybe you should join me, it's lovely here and it would do you good I'm sure. Can't have you get more wrinkles."

"Young lady, watch how you speak with your mother," The woman said with mock anger. For a woman her age she was still beautiful in Leifang's opinion, but a daughter had to tease her mother once in a while after all. "I wish that I could though, I'm currently in Shanghai with your father."

"Somehow I'm not surprised. What is the occasion? I didn't miss your wedding anniversary did I?" the Chinese stretched herself a little; she had been lying on the chair for a while now.

"A business trip. Believe it or not but your participating in the tournament brought it on. Your father thought it might be a good idea to do business with DOATEC so he is preparing everything for a meeting with Miss Douglas."

Leifang whistled. Meeting with Helena personally and striking a deal would be a huge achievement that might secure their position on the world market for the years to come.

"Well at least I helped you guys with my _'__Martial Arts nonsense__'_ for once, or am I wrong?"

"No I guess not." Her mother chuckled.

"If I'm not wrong, then I must be right." Leifang cocked her head to the side even though her mother couldn't see it for obvious reasons. "Well I'll be getting back to relaxing then, try to have a bit of fun over there; you could even take father with you."

She could hear her mother suppress a giggle. "I'll try. I love you dear."

"I love you too, Mother." And with that she hung up, closed her eyes and handed the phone back to the attendant.

"If that is all."

"Yes that is all for now." And with a nod that Leifang couldn't see the woman left.

_And now back to relaxing_

* * *

After another day of extensive relaxing she returned to her penthouse in Hong Kong. She simply loved it. It had two floors and enough room for her to practice her Tai Chi Quan without fear of breaking something. Not that she had much in terms of prized possessions that decorated the rooms. She liked it the way it was.

It was located in the Wan Chai district and granted her a nice view over the Golden Bauhinia Square.

"Miss Gāo," a woman in her late 30s, her face long and sharp angled, greeted her bowing respectfully, her slim lips in set in a straight line. She was dressed in an orderly uniform. "You have returned. Are you hungry? I have some snacks ready in the kitchen."

"No thank you, Zhen. I'm not very hungry. I think I will take a bath and then simply go to bed. So you can just go home."

"I will see you tomorrow then." Zhen bowed again. "Goodnight, Miss Gāo."

"Good night."

As the housekeeper headed out of the penthouse Leifang plopped down on the giant sofa in the center of her living room. She had long since given up on making the woman just call her Leifang.

The Chinese bent forward and undid her black heeled boots, kicking them off and just discarding them somewhere on the floor. Next was the red tie around her neck and after that the blue-grey blouse she was wearing.

Standing up again she walked over to the stairs, climbing its steps and rid herself of the black top and shorts she wore. Stopping in front of the Bathroom she simply took off her underwear and walked in.

After taking a quick bath and drying herself she went into her bedroom, not bothering putting on night clothes and by the time her head hit the pillow she was already fast asleep.

The next morning Leifang was having a light breakfast made by Jin Zhen, who now busied herself with dusting off the vases decorating the living room. Like usual she was reading the newspapers. Sometimes she would even find something interesting compared to the usual news of economics, politics and gossip.

She took a sip from her green tea and wondered what she could do today. It was a nice day outside, so maybe she could go to a park and do her daily training there instead of in her penthouse.

Somehow her training wasn't as fun as it used to be the last months after the tournament. She probably wasn't used to train alone anymore after her training trip with Hitomi.

Thinking of her friend reminded her to check her mails. Leifang took out her smartphone and connected to her e-mail account, and like always there was an e-mail written by her friend.

_Argh! I can__'__t believe it. My Professor can be such an ass, giving us such a large essay to write on such a short notice. I wish I could just punch him._

_Anyway, how was your stay in the spa? I can only imagine how relaxing that must__'__ve been. I could kill for downtime like this but in between going to lectures and part-timing I only have my weekends, and even on some of those I have to study. Thankfully only another month and the semester is over, I__'__m gonna make good use of the free time I have then._

_I really miss the time we were traveling around. :)_

As she read this her lips formed a smile. Yeah she missed the time they spent together as well. Leifang stared at the text for a minute before logging out of her account.

An idea struck her and she threw up the browser window again. As she looked up what she wanted her smile turned into a grin. It may be a bit hasty but there was nothing wrong with the idea.

And if she wasn't wrong, she had to be right. Right?

* * *

_**You know after this is all over I think I'll be taking one of those aroma therapy massages, but with my luck it's probably gonna be a fat dude instead of a hot chick that's gonna do it.  
**_

_**And oh my god Leifang is a Gao! A Gao of all people!  
...Like probably a million other Chinese people out there since it's a pretty common name. It's probably how it's written that makes it different and have more **weight **or something. Figured she would need a family name after all.****  
**_

_**What else...oh yeah for those that actually went ahead (or will be) and read my parody fic Dumb and Alive, please don't pay it much attention, it was written in a time where most of the canon stuff wasn't known and I made stuff up, so it's horribly non-canon (oh boy as if this fic here won't be the same after the next Dead or Alive) and I'm actually thinking of doing a redux version some day.  
**_

_**Well, see you next week.  
**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Hitomi was sitting in the university's library, hunched over a couple of books and her essay lain down in front of them. A sigh escaped her lips as she checked if she had everything right.

The pencil in her right hand tapped against the side of one of the books in rhythm to the music she was listening through her iPod. Music always helped her stay focused, and with this heavy load of work she could use all the helped she could get.

Her last essay had been a near catastrophe, what with the short notice and all, but she managed to salvage at least enough to get a decent mark on it.

At least this one here left her a bit more time and she was rather confident that she could do it in time. But for the moment she was simply stuck.

The brunette leaned back in her chair, taking off her reading glasses and rubbed her eyes with the lower part of her palms, stifling a yawn. She had been in here for a few hours now. She didn't have any lectures and wasn't needed at the dojo today so it was the perfect time to hog the library.

_What a way to waste a free Friday_. But not only had she the essay to hand in but she also had to prepare for the semester finals that were approaching. Luckily after that she would have nearly three months till the next semester to do whatever.

She closed one of the books, put her glasses on top of it and took a look at the watch. 14:12.

_Maybe I should head home?_ She turned off the music, put the iPod into her bag and gathered her things, as well as the book, together.

Returning the book she left the library and made her way through the halls towards the exit. On her way out she ran into Viktor, who was in a hurry so they only exchanged greetings.

Outside she walked across the campus, watching several students walk, talk and hurry along to whatever they had to do. As she walked she passed the sitting statue of Aristotle, where a few people sat and ate their self-made lunches.

A low rumble made the young Karateka wince and rub her belly. It had been quite a while since she last ate anything.

As she debated if she should cook something or just make herself a sandwich and help herself to that nice slice of Sachertorte still in her fridge once she arrived back home, thunder crashed above her and only now did she notice that the clear sky from this morning was full of grey clouds now. She cursed inwardly for not having brought her bike today.

_Dammit! The weather forecast said it wouldn't rain today!_ She sprinted across the yard, trying to get under cover in vain as only a moment later rain started to pour down, soaking her in mere seconds.

Letting out a defeated sigh she was glad her bag was waterproof and just headed towards the campus entrance. Now that she was wet anyway she might as well head back home.

At least she had the fortune of catching the next bus so she wouldn't have to walk all the way.

She bought a ticket from the bus driver and sat down in one of the rear seats, leaning her head against the window. She noticed how tired she actually was and decided to rest her eyes a little bit.

Hitomi must have dozed off, because by the time she opened her eyes again she was about to miss her stop. Hurriedly she got out of her seat and left the bus just as the driver was about to close the doors again.

Luckily for her the rain wasn't as intense as before, not that it mattered much, but it was a little consolation. The brunette headed to her apartment.

Back inside the first thing she did was kicking her boots and throwing her bag to the side. First thing on her list for the now starting weekend: a nice hot shower.

She threw her wet clothes into her laundry and showered longer than usual, allowing herself the luxury to relax. As she washed herself she looked down grimacing, taking note of a certain little detail.

She debated if she should just take care of it now while she was in here but decided against it in a bout of lazyness.

_Note to self: remember to shave. _She wrote down mentally.

After having finished her shower she dressed into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and simple green t-shirt and walked into her bedroom, stifling another yawn.

"I think a nap would be a good idea..." she muttered to herself and laid down onto the bed, on top of the covers.

* * *

By the time she awoke from her nap the sun was already setting.

"Shit. I-" Hitomi was interrupted by a yawn. "I slept the whole day away"

Stretching herself to loosen the kinks in her muscles she got up from the bed and went into the kitchen to make herself something to eat. As she was about to open her fridge she spotted the overflowing trash can. Maybe she should take care of that first.

The brunette took out the trash bag, put on her simple pair of runners and left her apartment.

"Yo, Hit-girl" she was greeted by Viktor who just came up the stairs.

"Hi" Hitomi looked at her friend, who had an amused look on his face. "What's so funny?"

Viktor was smiling most of the time like something was a joke that only he got, like every time he called her by her nickname. But Hitomi knew him well enough to know that the sparkle in his eyes meant he found something especially amusing.

"You gotta hear that one, in front of the house there is this really hot chick, and I mean REALLY hot, but she can't speak German and is asking people that go in and out in English" he snorted in amusement, holding back his laughter. "Too bad not a single one in this building can speak a lick of English"

"You can" She pointed her left index finger at him.

"Yeah but where would be the fun in that? You can speak english too by the way"

"What did she want to know anyway?"

"I...didn't really catch that. I was kind of distracted by her assets"

The Karateka rolled her eyes. Typical. "I guess I'll have to ask her then"

"Sure sure" he took out his keys and unlocked the door to his apartment. "I usually don't like those Chinese ladies but this one had a nice set of legs, and those heels. Why can't you wear some of those? Would be an improvement over that ugly track jacket you have, jeez"

Before Hitomi could respond he had closed the door behind himself.

Chinese, nice pair of legs and high-heels? _Nah it can't be_ she thought, but she noticed how her steps got quicker as she descended the stairs.

And right outside the young girl saw her. Leifang looking quite lost while alternating between looking down the street and looking at the door bell nameplates. Two traveling cases were standing at each side of her and an umbrella slung over her shoulder.

Hitomi opened the door of the building.

"Leifang!" she called. The Chinese pried her gaze from the nameplates at the sound of her voice.

"Hitomi!" her friend captured her in a tight hug, which she could only return with her left arm, the other still holding the trash bag. After letting go of each other Leifang punched her in the shoulder, looking angrily at her and puffing up her cheeks.

"Do you know how long I was standing out here?" she asked in japanese. Since both of them were fluent in the language they always used it when speaking to one another.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming? I could've come for you at the airport" Leifang started to look embarrassed.

"I wanted it to be a surprise" Hitomi crossed her eyes and groaned internally, shaking her head. Leave it to her friend to pull off something like this.

"Well you succeeded. Just let me put the trash away and we can go inside"

Putting it in the container she led her friend up to her apartment, helping her carry up the cases.

"Make yourself at home" she told her friend, putting the shoes and cases into the corner. Leifang walked around the living room, her hands folded behind her, looking around interestingly. Hitomi felt a bit nervous, she had a few visitors since she moved into her apartment but with Leifang it was somehow different. It probably had to do with her friend being rather rich.

Her fears were unfounded as Leifang turned towards her and smiled. "It's a lovely place you got here"

Mentally sighing in relief she told her friend that she could sit down if she'd like. It seemed her friend didn't need to be told twice.

"Ah, my feet are killing me. I was walking around town nearly the whole day!"

Hitomi sat down next to her friend and cocked her head to the side. "I know I did give you my address once, why didn't you just take a cab?"

A small grin split across Leifang's face and she bumped her knuckles cutely against her head. "I thought I could find the place on my own. Guess I was wrong this once"

The Chinese pulled one of her legs up, touching one of her feet delicately and started massaging it with only medium success.

"You're doing it wrong. Here, lie down and put them on my knees" Leifang did as she was told and Hitomi took one of her feet and massaged it gently.

"So tell me, what was the problem downstairs? Aside from the language barrier of course"

"Ah that feels goooood!" Leifang sighed out. "Well I didn't know your last name and when I tried asking the few people that came along they didn't understand me"

Hitomi stopped and looked at her friend for a moment. "Shit! That's true; I don't know your last name either!"

Both of them looked at each other, before bursting into laughter. It was silly how they never got around to introducing themselves properly. They just simply fell into first name basis when they met each other.

"My name is Gāo. Gāo Leifang" The Chinese wiped away the tears of mirth from her left eye and extended her hand to her friend. Hitomi smiled at her, letting go of her foot with her right hand and shook her friend's.

"Hitomi Buchfink. Nice to meet ya!"

Hitomi resumed her massage, moving both of her thumbs to massage the upper third of her sole. She started off with the tips of her thumbs, but switched to using the whole of her thumbs eliciting a gasp from her friend. Looking at her Hitomi noted that the other girl had closed her eyes.

"Where did you learn that?" Leifang asked the brunette.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out" Leifang opened one of her eyes lazily so Hitomi gave her a small wink and a grin. The Chinese just closed her eyes.

"So what brings you here?" she asked her friend.

"I thought it was high time I would pay you a visit. We're friends after all and we've never been to each other's place"

"So you just up and went to the next airport and flew over?" Hitomi shook her head. "I'm somehow not surprised"

When her friend was relaxed enough she moved her thumbs down to the middle of her sole, massaging it with the ends of them. Her friend was biting her lower lip and Hitomi felt herself getting warm. Was it getter hotter in here? Licking her lips, which she just noticed had dried up a bit, she pressed down a bit harder.

"Yes, that's the spot!" The Chinese gasped out. Hitomi continued this for a few minutes before switching to the other foot and doing the same procedure. This she continued until she heard the purring that came from her friend.

Letting go she got up from the sofa. "I'll be back in a minute"

She returned with a small basin filled with water, which she placed on the floor in front of her friend. "Put your feet in there until the water gets cold and you should be good to go again"

Her friend did as told and she gave her a thankful smile. The German sat down beside her. "Where are you staying by the way?"

"I planned on staying in a hotel nearby but they didn't have any rooms free and I didn't make any reservations"

"Then it's set. You can sleep here" She patted her sofa. "It's retractable so you can sleep on it no problem"

"Wow those things exist?" Leifang asked in disbelief. Hitomi gave her a look until it was clear that she wasn't joking.

"Oh you really didn't know?"

"Nope" Being rich came with a few drawbacks it seemed.

A comfortable silence grew between them and Hitomi was about to turn on her TV when her stomach called for attention again. "Hehe, I'm starving right now. How about I make us something real quick?"

"That would be awesome"

The brunette headed into the kitchen, she was too hungry to cook something now so she just went and made them a few sandwiches and took the last slice of Sachertorte out of the fridge, opting to share it with her friend, though she had to convince her to try the calorie bomb.

They spend the rest of the day chatting and watching TV and when it was time for them to retire Hitomi showed her friend how to retract the sofa, before bidding each other good night.

* * *

_**Guess Hitomi got a family name now too, but that one I actually got form the game. Just look at her football jersey in Dead or Alive 5, she's got Buchfink written on her back.**_

_**And fun fact: that name is actually pretty common in south Germany.**_

_**Oh yeah, just to keep you guys informed, if this story goes how I want it then I'm currently at 26 Chapters in planning, but that can always become more.**_

_**See you next week! :)**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

The Chinese moaned when sunlight hit her closed eyes and rolled over, trying to avoid having to wake up like a cat that wasn't in the mood for anything. She pulled the covers over her head to block out the sunlight completely but the lack of air only helped finish waking her up.

With a groan she threw the covers to the side and sat up, looking around Hitomi's living room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. A look at the clock told her it was 9:30.

She wondered if her friend was still sleeping. _She told me she was usually an early riser._

Leifang got up from the retractable sofa and pulled her pink T-shirt down, which had rolled up just under her breasts and revealed to the world her most shameful secret, that being a pair of panties with a cute panda on it.

Her friend was teasing her to death yesterday when she saw them for the first time but ultimately she found them extremely cute. With a giggle she wondered what Hitomi would say when she found out she had more than one.

She knocked softly on the bedroom door and opened it slowly, peeking inside to see her friend still lying in bed but not sleeping. The younger girl lifted herself onto her elbows, gazing at her friend with glazed over eyes and sniffling every time she inhaled a breath.

"Hey..." she greeted her friend in a nasal voice. Leifang pushed the door open and walked over to her friend, sitting down on her bed.

"Is everything ok? You don't look good"

"I'm fine. I'll make us some breakfast" Leifang pushed her friend down just as she was about to get up. Taking another look at her friend she gently brushed her friends bangs aside and cupped her forehead. No fever. That was a good sign.

"I think it would be better if you stayed in bed" She may not have a fever but that could change if she overexerted herself. She thought about what her mother once did when she had a cold as a child. Bed rest was the first thing that came to mind.

"It's just a cold. I'm fine, really," the German insisted futilely, her eyes about to close. "I just-just give me five minutes and I'll be up"

"You'll stay in bed. Get some more rest; I'll take care of breakfast" Leifang said in a cheerful tone, already set on her plan and got up.

"You sure it's ok?"

"Don't worry your pretty head over it, I'm fine!"

"Alright, wake me when you need my help" Hitomi sunk into her pillow and closed her fully. The Chinese left the room, closing the door quietly.

Somehow this situation seemed awfully familiar to her. Grabbing her toiletries she went to the bathroom to freshen up. Afterwards she looked through her friend's cabinets, checking off a mental list of things she needed for her mother's special cold soup.

Unfortunately Hitomi only had one ingredient on hand, so the Chinese had to go shopping. She just hoped she could find someone that understood her. She grabbed a fresh set of clothes, a red sleeveless turtleneck and a white skirt that went down to her knees, checked her purse if she had enough exchanged Euros and walked towards the bedroom to check onto Hitomi, who was now sound asleep.

As she put on her shoes she grabbed her friend's keys and a bag from the coat hanger. As she stepped outside a man was just coming out of his apartment. Leifang recognized him from the day before; he was one of the people that ignored her. He looked at her in confusion as she closed the door behind her and walked to the steps, her head held high in defiance to yesterday's events.

She was about to walk down the steps when the man's voice stopped her.

"Hey, you" he called after her. In English. The Chinese turned her head towards the man, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She forwent her elaborate braids for the day. The young man didn't wait for her reply. "So YOU must be Hit-girl's friend"

Who was this strange man? His face was rather long and thin, with sharp features, midsized lips and a pointed nose. All in all he was a rather gaunt, but tall person.

"Hit-girl?"

"Yeah, Hitomi. Hit-girl, because her name starts with Hit and she hits like a truck" The lopsided grin on his face told her that this was a little inside joke that only he got. He closed the door to his apartment.

"I'm Viktor Hager by the way. I'm sure she didn't mention me but she and I are friends. And YOU must be Leifang. She told me about you, not everything mind you," She noticed him eye her up and down. "But she told me a few things"

"Yes, I'm Leifang," she narrowed her eyes at him ogling her so openly. Did Hitomi know that her neighbor was a creep? "Nice to meet you. I guess"

"I guess? Damn that hurts" he rubbed the back of his head with one hand and pushed his glasses up with the other. "Never mind it is a _pleasure_"

He looked at her friend's apartment door. "Where is Hit-girl? Gone helping in her old man's dojo?"

Leifang shook her head; she still wasn't sure what to make of the man. "No, she got a cold and is resting"

The Chinese saw worry creep into his eyes. "A cold? Well she didn't have an umbrella with her..."

He looked back towards her again. "And where are you headed? Down to the pharmacy?"

Leifang shook her head and showed him her list. "I want to make her a special Chinese soup, but she is missing some ingredients"

Viktor held out his hand to ask permission if he could read the list. She thought about it for a few seconds before handing him the slip of paper.

He eyed the list for a moment before groaning and crossing his eyes. "Figures...uh Chinese isn't exactly my area of expertise so could you tell me what that says?"

"Eggs, chives and ginger" She translated to him.

"Does it matter what kind of ginger and chive?" he asked.

"I don't think so"

"Good, then I can help you. Today is Saturday and that means the weekly market is open. No better place to get those ingredients fresh" he told her. "I wanted to buy some stuff anyway so I can show you. And I suppose you could need me as a translator. People in this town aren't all too good with English, never mind Chinese or Japanese"

Leifang thought about that. He seemed to be honest enough and if he tried something, well she beat up scarier and bigger people. "Alright...Viktor was it?"

He smiled. "Yeah, let's go"

* * *

The young man and Leifang walked over the marketplace. It was buzzing with people. Old ladies talking to each other about various things, mothers trading the latest gossips and their children looking at candies from various stands or bugging their mothers to continue onwards so they could get back home.

The Chinese looked at all this with curiosity. It wasn't too different from the markets back home, maybe a little smaller but that was to be expected in a town much smaller than she was used to.

Viktor was leading her through the crowd of people. He had asked her if it was ok for him to buy his stuff first so that they could go back together, it didn't really make any difference to her so she agreed, in her mind already going through how to cook the soup or at least trying to remember how it was cooked.

He was carrying a few bags already as he led her to a stand that sold various herbs. "Alright just let me handle it"

He spoke to the man on the other side of the stand and Leifang continued looking at the people. Her eyes landed on a little girl that kept bugging a little boy who was trying to get her off him. The Chinese chuckled to herself. Now that seemed familiar.

'Thanks a bunch' Viktor said in German and nudged Leifang with his elbow. She tore her gaze away from the two children and followed Hitomi's friend. "Ok only the eggs now. That one's easy. Lots of stands here sell eggs"

And like he said it didn't take them very long to get the eggs and make their way back to the apartment via the tram.

"Thank you for helping me out" she said with a smile; she had wrongly judged him earlier, even if he did ogle her he seemed to be a nice enough guy from what little she got to know over the past hour. She opened her purse to pay him back what he had paid for the ingredients.

Smiling he held up his hands, with palms in front. "Ah don't mention it. By the way, sorry if I came off as weird earlier, I'm not much of a people person. And keep your money"

"But-" she wanted to protest but he cut her off. "Just keep it. Think of it as my contribution to her getting better, considering how much money I saved by eating stuff she cooked it's the least I can do. I won't take no for an answer, oh and take these!"

The young man handed her a small bag with oranges. "I think she will appreciate freshly pressed orange juice"

Seeing how Leifang had no other choice she took them and gave him a mock salute with the back of her hand flat against her brow. "Yes, sir!" she grinned and gave him a wink.

They said their goodbyes and the Chinese went back into the apartment, discarded her shoes and brought the bags into the kitchen. She opened the cabinet where she saw the pots and pulled out a medium sized one, filling it with water and putting it on the stove.

The Chinese turned on the stove and pulled out all the ingredients from the bags, starting to cut the herbs. As she heard that the water was starting to boil she took a quick look around for the sugar and found it in a handy little dispenser. She added a pinch into the water.

_Hmm it shouldn__'__t hurt if I add a bit more. _She thought and generously added more into the water. She stirred it with a spoon until it dissolved completely into the water and then returned to cutting the herbs and after that cut the ginger like she remembered her mother doing it years ago; or at least she thought so.

After adding the herbs she turned the temperature of the stove down a little and stirred it from time to time, putting in the ginger and adding the raw egg last, all the while eating some snacks she found in one of the cabinets to sate her own hunger, until white foam started to form itself around the egg. She recognized that as a clear sign that the soup was done, so she poured it into a bowl.

_Was the foam supposed to stay? _She wondered for a moment, while she put the soup on a tray. _Ah, not important!_

She cut two of the oranges and made her friend a fresh glass of orange juice, putting it on the tray as well and, not forgetting to add the spoon, she took it and carried it towards the bedroom, a cheerful smile on her face as she hummed one of her favorite melodies, using her elbow to open the door.

As she walked in she saw that Hitomi was already waking up. "Hey you."

The German rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Hey...what is that smell?" She was sounding a little better after sleeping a little bit, Leifang noted. The Chinese walked over to the bed.

"I made you a special soup for your cold." She told her friend, placing the tray onto her friend's lap once she sat up enough. Hitomi gave her a thankful smile and took a sip from the orange juice to quench her thirst a little, savoring the taste.

"Thanks, I already feel better." Hitomi said and grabbed the spoon, looking curiously at the soup; it looked kind of funny with the foam and the egg swimming in it like a small island. Leifang clasped her hands in front of her, eager to have her friend try the dish.

"Weeeell, thanks for the food!" the Karateka said and dug in. After the first few spoonfuls she took another sip from the glass, pursing her lips a little. "It... tastes pretty salty. Especially the foam."

Leifang blinked and looked at her friend in confusion. "That's funny it's supposed to taste a bit sweet... Maybe I should've added some more sugar."

"There is sugar in it?" Hitomi creased her brows and took another look at the bowl but continued to eat. After a while the brunette placed the spoon back onto the tray, grabbed the glass and downed the last of its content. She pointed at the dish with her forefinger. "I don't know how I should tell you this..."

"Yes?"

"...It tastes pretty bad. It has no sweetness and the salty foam is just...I think you got the recipe wrong." Hearing that Leifang slumped her shoulders. Maybe cooking it from memory was a bit too much for her.

"Sorry, guess I was in over my head."

Hitomi placed the tray onto her nightstand and pushed her covers aside, stood up and placed her hands onto the Chinese's shoulders. "Come on, don't feel bad. I already feel better thanks to sleeping a little longer. So how about I go take a shower and then we will check out that recipe online and try again?"

"Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Hey, I'm made of sterner stuff than that." Hitomi grinned, held up her right arm and flexed her biceps. Both of them burst into laughter.

"Alright alright, we'll do it your way then."

"Good." She said and pushed Leifang out of the room.

After having taken a shower Hitomi led her friend to her PC where they looked up the soup and found the correct recipe. Turns out that Leifang should have removed the foam before serving the dish, and when they went into the kitchen the German pointed out that Leifang mixed up the sugar with salt, which explained why the taste was off. Both of them shared another laugh and luckily for them there were still enough ingredients left over to try again.

This time they managed to pull it off and Hitomi had another recipe to add to her collection. And while they cooked Leifang told her friend how she had met Viktor and how he helped her getting everything.

It was a fun day.

* * *

_**Guess the feeling like shit and helping each other out thing came full circle now huh?  
**_

_**By the way, that soup is actually quite nice.**_

_**Well until next week :)  
**_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author Note:_

' ' _means the talking is in German. _

**Chapter 8**

* * *

"No! You are MY child I won't allow you to marry him!" the man with graying hair black hair and full beard said to his daughter, a girl of about 21 with blonde shoulder length hair dressed in a nice dark-red dress that hugged her curves.

"Don't you understand? I love him with all my heart!" the daughter said, ruffling her hair in a very dramatic fashion before grabbing one of the very expensive looking vases and throwing it on the floor, shattering it into tiny pieces.

The man, bubbling over in anger grabbed the girl by her wrist, dragging her out of the room into the hallway. "You will only marry who I tell you to marry, do you hear me Josephine?!"

The girl was dragged up the stairs and shoved into her room, the door falling shut the moment she tumbled to the floor. Getting up, the girl tried to open the door to no avail.

"Let me out!"

"No! And do something about that terrible dress of yours!"

"Ah this is boring!" the girl 'shouted' in a bored tone as Leifang switched channels. The Chinese was lying on the folded out sofa, dressed in only her sleeping T-shirt and panties, lying on her stomach with her bare feet dangling in the air as she crossed and uncrossed her legs to have something to do other than making up the dialogue of shows that she didn't understand anyway. The last one was her favorite due of its over the top presentation, but even that got boring.

After Saturday Hitomi and her had spent the whole day at home, deciding that the brunette should at least have another day of recovery - even if she felt fine - before going outside. Today though she had to attend class and without anything to do, or nowhere to go, Leifang stayed at Hitomi's. For the first few hours it was fine, she did some training and followed her usual morning routine.

Before her was an empty bowl with a few traces of milk inside. Not being rather confident about another cooking attempt the Chinese just raided - with Hitomi's permission of course - the cupboards for the cornflakes.

Now she was watching some kind of mix between a cooking show and a talk show. Sighing she inspected her fingernails, only to realize that she did file them a few hours ago. Maybe she should do her hair again? She did kill some time by braiding, unbraiding and braiding it again.

She cast her gaze to the clock on the TV table. Luckily Hitomi would return soon and then they could do something together. Leifang did feel a little bit like a dog that was left alone, but they couldn't help it. First it was Leifang's fault for coming over unannounced and second Hitomi couldn't afford to just skip out on the lessons, so she had to kill some time until her friend returned.

_Maybe I could surf the web?_ She mused but decided against it. She wasn't really big on the whole Internet thing to begin with and she usually just checked her mails anyway so she wouldn't really know what to look up.

Going outside would be an option too of course, but then she would risk getting lost and that would only be fun if she got another foot massage from her friend afterwards.

"I should ask her again where she learned that" she said aloud to no one but herself.

Salvation came to the Chinese as she heard the door ring, but she furrowed her brows in confusion. _If that's Hitomi, why would she ring? Did she leave her keys here?_

The young woman stood up as the doorbell was rung again, smoothing out her long T-shirt to make herself more presentable and pulling it down so it would cover her panties completely. Maybe it was the mailman.

She looked through the peephole, seeing an elderly lady standing there. Blinking in confusion she opened the door, and tipped her head sidewards.

Once the door was open the old lady looked at her in surprise for a moment before smiling and talking to her. In German of course.

As the old lady kept on talking Leifang could only lift her hands and shaking her head, the only thing she understood was her friend's name. The woman looked over Leifangs shoulder then asked her something. Then a look of realization crossed the woman's face and she put her left hand onto her cheek before pointing to what she held in her other hand, asking Leifang something.

The Chinese looked down. She held a plate with a piece of cake on it, offering it to her. Leifang hesitated for a moment before taking her up on the offer. The old lady smiled and said something that seemed to be some kind of thanks and goodbye and left her befuddled in the doorway. Was this some kind of joke?

She leaned out of the door and spied into the hallway, seeing no one else but the old woman that was descending the stairs. Blinking her eyes a few times she went back inside the apartment, closing the door and taking the cake into the kitchen, putting it on the counter.

She put her elbows on the counter, placing her chin on the palm of her hands and looked at the piece of cake. It looked like it was only made of cream, with various pieces of fruits and liquid chocolate - drawn in a wavy pattern - adorning the top. Simply delicious looking.

But it was for Hitomi, or at least she thought so, why else should the lady bring it to her friend's apartment?

_...A taste wouldn__'__t hurt though, right?_ She balanced her face onto one hand so that she could guide her other one down and to the left, opening the one of the drawers where she knew the eating utensils were stored. She took a fork and brought it close to the piece, letting it hover over it. Should she really do it?

_Come on, it__'__s only one bite, what can it hurt?_ Asked a little traitorous voice inside her mind. She hesitated for another moment before she shrugged and brought the fork down upon the cake, cutting off a small piece and bringing it close to her lips.

Leifang had to close her eyes as she tasted it. It was just so good!

Without thinking about it she took another bite, and another. She noticed that under the cream was the subtle taste of marzipan, which she only had tasted once before, but found absolutely delicious. Usually she tended to eat lighter sweets like Almond Tofu, but sometimes she just had to sin a little, and this was one of the sweetest of them all.

Before she knew it the only thing left of it was a few spots of cream on the plate.

_Oh... _she thought.

And as if the timing couldn't be any worse she heard a key being pushed into a lock and unlocking the door, followed by her friend's voice. "Hey I'm home!"

Leifang looked around frantically; she had to hide that plate. Sadly Hitomi didn't own a dishwasher. That would have been the perfect solution. Hearing the steps of her friend coming closer and closer the Chinese did the only thing she could think of in such a hurry. She threw it in the trash.

And not one moment too early as Hitomi decided to round the corner and walk into the kitchen.

"There you are." She greeted. "Uh, something wrong? You look kinda winded there."

"I'm fine." She replied quickly, folding her hands together and rocking back and forth on her feet, laughing nervously. "Should something be wrong?"

Hitomi gave her a disbelieving look and was about to say something when someone knocked on the door. 'Coming!' the brunette shouted and went for the door.

Leifang sighed in relief. _Saved by the doorbell._ She thought, but then her eyes widened. What if it was the old lady again?

She quickly followed her friend but stayed away a little just to be safe. When the German opened the door a wave of relief washed over her as it was only Viktor. "Hey you two." He greeted.

"Hey Vik."

"Hello."

The young man looked over Hitomi's shoulder to get a better look. "Nice outfit." He said dryly, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

Only then did Leifang notice her state of dress, yelping she ran back into the living room to put on something more decent.

Viktor snickered as Hitomi just shook her head. 'So to what do I owe your gracious presence?' she asked switching to German.

'Well old lady Dumas brought me this.' He lifted the plate he was holding up to eye-level, his other hand holding a fork in his other. 'Mmh looks delicious.'

He cut off a small piece of cake and brought it up to his mouth, only to have Hitomi grab his wrist, pulling the piece towards herself. He tried to resist a bit but he was no match for her strength.

'Hmm...' Moaned Hitomi as she tasted the creamy treat, narrowing her eyes in concentration. Viktor looked at the fork.

'Yeah, of course you can take a bite!' he said sarcastically, putting his fork on the plate and looking at his friend, who herself was lost in thought, in irritation. 'Now I have to get another one. No way am I eating with something that has Hitomi germs on it. Wasn't your piece enough?'

'Hmm?' this brought the brunette out of her musings. 'My piece?'

'Yeah, she brought one not too long ago. Huh, what's with that look?'

"Leifang!" Hitomi shouted towards her friend.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to, but it looked so delicious!" the Chinese leaned out of the living room doorway, having put on a simple red blouse and a black business skirt. In her hand she held the plate that the old lady brought, looking like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Hitomi rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. "Doesn't matter. But you gotta have to help me now."

"Help?"

"Yeah, I have to get ingredients to answer her challenge!" Hitomi pumped her fist like she did before a fight before walking into the living room. Leifang gave them a puzzled look.

"The old lady and she have a 'rivalry' of sorts and pretty much all the residents are judges in their little contest." Viktor explained to her.

"I guess that makes sense, I suppose." Well it was something to do and she was just glad that Hitomi wasn't too mad, so glad that she just missed that while he answered in English, he had understood what they said in Japanese perfectly.

Hitomi returned with a large bag slung over her shoulder. "Ok let's go."

"Well, have fun you two."

"You're coming with us Vik."

"Yeah alright-wait what?!"

* * *

The three of them walked through the inner-city; the bag Hitomi held was full with ingredients for her own cake. Leifang and Viktor each held a paper bag full of groceries that Hitomi decided to buy as well since she was already shopping in the first place.

"Dammit, can you tell me how you got me to coming with you?" Viktor asked looking at the bag in his hand. Hitomi smiled at him playfully and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Maybe it's my irresistible charm."

"Pfft, yeah right, tubby."

"What did you call me?!" she punched him roughly in the arm.

"You heard me!"

Leifang giggled to herself watching the two, it was clear to her now that the two of them really were friends, deep inside her she felt something tug at the sight of them; Hitomi and her didn't playfully bicker like this and they didn't see each other that often. Maybe that should change. Having heard her they both stopped their bickering and looked at her.

"Something funny?"

"Yeah, you two." She said pointing at them. "Say, how did you two meet?"

Viktor and Hitomi looked at each other for a moment. "Well you see," Viktor started. "It's a glorious tale filled with blood, sweat and tears,"

"Mostly his." Hitomi commented.

"That took place years ago. You see back in the day I decided to learn some self-defense and someone I know,"

"A friend of his, even if he won't ever admit it." Hitomi said, shaking her head.

"That isn't up for debate right now!" he cleared his throat. "So where was I? Oh yeah, so someone I know just happens to be the masseur of a certain someone's father, who incidentally owns a dojo. So I decided to learn some karate. Nothing fancy just enough to defend myself."

He gesticulated towards Hitomi. "And there I met her. I was thinking 'Man what a hottie' and was wondering the whole time how I should approach her when suddenly I got 'lucky'," he made quotation marks with his hands at the word lucky. "And managed to bag her as my training partner. I thought a cutie like that wouldn't be too hard to take down."

The young man shook his head, running a hand through his blond hair. "Worst idea of my life. She slapped my shit when I hit on her. I was pretty much black and blue by the end of the day. But,"

He shared a smile with Hitomi. "She helped me get patched up afterwards while still berating me."

"And after that we became friends pretty fast." Hitomi finished up, directing her smile at Leifang. "I have a tendency to befriend people I beat up it seems."

The girls shared a laugh at that. "But don't worry; you're the only one of my friends that ever saw me in a bikini."

"What?!" Viktor asked and said under his breath. "Damn."

"Zack Island sure was fun. Hey, maybe we should go for another vacation there." Leifang suggested. "Just be sure not to fall for the obvious lie again."

"Oh come on, am I never going to live that down? It's been two years now." The brunette complained, causing Leifang to giggle again. Just then Leifang had an idea.

"Say, you told me your semester break is coming up at the end of the month right?" she asked.

Hitomi and Viktor both nodded. "So why don't you come and visit me in Hong Kong for a few weeks?"

"Hey, that's actually a good idea!"

"So will you come?"

"Sure!" Hitomi said, but got sullen shortly afterwards. "I will have to take some money from my savings account, though. I wanted to avoid that, but it's not like I spend it on willy nilly so I might as well use it."

"So you will come?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to."

"Yes!" Leifang clapped her hands together excitedly, before grabbing her friend's hands. Both of them grinned widely and jumped up and down once, causing a passerby to look at them.

Shaking his head Viktor chuckled to himself. "Hey girls, how about we go stop over there for a coffee?" He pointed towards a café on the other side of the street. They agreed and the three of them made their way over, stopping at the streetlights.

"So that friend of yours, you know the one that told you about the dojo?" Leifang asked, looking at Viktor who grimaced at her mentioning it. "Who was it?"

"Argh! You had to ask didn't you!?"

"Huh?" Leifang gave Hitomi, who shrugged and let a sigh past her lips. A questioning look.

"Don't pay him any mind. You see him and Sven, that's his name, used to be roommates." Hitomi explained. "And as much as he complains they are still good friends, even if he won't admit it."

"Yeah whatever." The young man muttered, fumbling with his pack of cigarettes, contemplating if he should take one but deciding against it since the place they were headed to was a no smoking area. "He's still a major pain in the ass. For god's sake he was always running around naked in our apartment back then. Drove me and Tim half nuts."

"Tim was another one of his roomies." Hitomi explained.

"And the worst part is," he went on ranting, the traffic lights turning green, letting them cross the street. "That the guy ran around naked whenever he was home!"

Leifang's jaw dropped in shock at this revelation while Hitomi could only shake her head and shrug. "Why would he do something like that?"

"Beats me, probably making a statement about how he we won't give the corporates his money by using too much detergent. Or he is just full of crap"

"Oh come one it can't have been THAT bad" Hitomi huffed in annoyance, having heard this for the hundredth time now.

"Yes it wa-Oh wait I forgot who I was talking to. After all, our dear Ms. Buchfink has the habit of dancing around her apartment butt naked while her balcony door is wide open for everyone to see!"

Leifang looked at Hitomi in shock, eyes widening. "You did what?"

"Hey, that was only one time and I was excited that day so I didn't...didn't really notice what I did!" the young Karateka answered defensively, waving her hands in front of herself and her face turning red from embarrassment.

"Excited yeah, wonder why." the young man snickered. "Ok but I'll let it go"

Turning to Leifang he added: "Well now you know how we met. Certain other things," he looked at Hitomi, who puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "She can tell you herself, later"

Leifang looked at her friend, who was muttering something under her breath that sounded like 'You better be buying, pal' from where she was standing. Giggling to herself she decided to ask Hitomi about the naked thing later.

They entered the café and after looking around for a moment she could hear Viktor cursing under his breath before nudging Hitomi in the shoulder. "Great. Speak of the devil"

* * *

_**Dun dun dun.  
Damn I think I'm digging myself in with that language barrier. Gotta do something about that in the future.  
And is that a new OC on the horizon? Don't worry, like I mentioned I'll use them sparingly.**_

_**Until next week :)**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

The two girls looked in the direction that Viktor pointed to. There, in one of the seats in the far right corner of the café sat a young man of roughly the same age as Viktor, reading a book with a neutral expression on his face that had a slight resemblance with a grumpy monkey's if not for the straight nose and slightly long chin.

His long brown hair was combed back with no hair out of place and a tuft of hair was sprouting from his chin as if he was trying to grow a goatee.

"Great, I don't think I can stand this guy today."

"Hey, let's go over and greet him!" Hitomi exclaimed, ignoring Viktor's statement just now and started to walk over to him. Viktor just shook his head, muttering something but walked over nevertheless. Leifang hesitated for a second, but followed the two of them.

"Sven!" the brunette exclaimed, telling him they were coming over. He turned his attention from his book over to Hitomi, one corner of his mouth lifting.

"Buchfink." He greeted her and then turned his gaze to Viktor. "Hager."

Then he looked straight at Leifang. 'And this is?' he asked in German.

Hitomi smiled and held her hand towards the Chinese. 'Sven, meet Gāo Leifang.' she moved her hand to point towards the man and switched to English. "Leifang this is Sven Degener"

"Nice to meet you, Sven" Leifang said pleasantly and smiled.

"Gāo" he nodded at her, he knew enough English to at least greet Leifang, though it was heavily accented, so she would probably take a little backseat on this one. The guy was supposed to be weird too. He closed his book and motioned for them to sit. "Why don't you sit down?" he asked.

With a sigh of resignation Viktor sat down besides Sven, while Hitomi and Leifang sat down on the opposite side. 'How are things?'

'Good good.' Sven took a sip of his coffee, before snapping his fingers like he remembered something. 'Riedel asks if you are going to make it on Saturday.'

'Yeah. When do I ever miss a session?' A waitress approached the table, asking the three if they wanted to order something. They all ordered coffee, Hitomi translating for Leifang since the waitress wasn't good at English and while she did that ordered herself a piece of apple pie.

'And what brings you all here?' Sven asked. 'I for one am on my break from work.'

"My old neighbor from downstairs wants to compare her baking with mine." Hitomi explained, still speaking in English as to not alienate her friend, pointing to the bags they had set aside under the table. She would answer the challenge with her very own version of Black Forest cake, which she explained in detail while waiting for their order.

'I'm going out for a smoke.' Viktor stood up, fingering his pack of cigarettes.

'You really should quit that habit,' the other man said. 'Don't you know that smoking causes your lungs to-'

'Oh no no no no!' the black haired man cut him off, wagging his finger at him. 'You will not berate me like you are some doctor. You're a masseur not an internist. That little bit of medicine you learned doesn't fly with me on this. Now if you ladies will excuse me, I think I'll go destroy my lungs or something.' The last part was said in English so that Leifang would understand.

And with that he left the three people sitting at the table. Sven turned towards the two ladies. 'Something wrong with him?'

'Heh, you could say that.' Hitomi said and shared a look with Leifang, snickering. Yeah it seemed that today was one of these days where he couldn't be around the other guy.

'So...what are you reading there?' she asked for lack of better topic.

'Oh this?' he lifted the book with its leathery cover. 'The Gay Science by Friedrich Nietzsche. Pretty interesting stuff. Did you know that god is dead?'

'Uuuuuh nope. But thanks for the enlightenment. I'll be sure to write it down.' She said and laughed nervously. The waitress came over and brought them their order. Saying her thanks she quickly dug in on her pie. Beside her Leifang propped her head on one hand and looked at Sven who was thumbing through his book, probably trying to find a sentence or two to quote.

"So you are a masseur?"

"Yes."

"What kind of massages?"

"Mostly the medical kind, like acupressure massages. But I do the ones mostly aimed at relaxation as well, for lack of better words. I do house calls as well."

Leifang gave him a mischievous smile and glanced towards her friend who was busy enjoying the pie and putting some additional milk in her coffee. "That includes foot massages. Hmm yeah that explains something."

"I think I'm missing something here...," he took a look at his watch and put his book inside his shoulder bag. Rising from his seat he said. "Gotta go back to work. See you Buchfink. Was nice meeting you Gāo"

He was about to leave when he stopped and closed his eyes, trying to remember something. He always looked like he was in pain when he did that, Hitomi always noted, like it was hurting him something fierce.

"Oh yeah, can you tell your father that his next appointment is going to be delayed and that I'll be by an hour later?"

"Sure I tell him the next time I see him."

"Thanks."

They watched him go to the counter, pay up and go outside, where he talked with Viktor for a few more minutes before leaving.

"He didn't seem that weird to me." The Chinese told her friend.

"Well Viktor knows him better; I don't hang out with him all too often. We're more acquaintances than friends." Hitomi shrugged and took a sip of her coffee, smacking her lips and nodding now that the taste was more to her liking. "I think most of it is Vik just exaggerating. They are actually good friends, but I think living together wasn't a good idea for them."

They drank their coffee in silence until Viktor came back to them, sitting down in the place Sven occupied just moments ago, pulling his cup his way. "Did I miss anything?" when the girls shook their heads he took a sip of his coffee.

"So Hit-girl. How are things in the dojo?"

"It has become rather busy. We're getting more and more students." she told him.

"In no small part of you being the runner up of the Dead or Alive Tournament, I'm sure." Leifang said smiling, she had stopped being mad at not making it further than she did a while ago and could be happy for her friend, without it being overshadowed by Jann Lee, even though thinking of the man was still confusing to her.

"Hehe, thanks!" She grinned at her friend.

"That's good. It was tough two years ago with your father sick and the dojo on the brink of closing down. Good thing you had the prize money from the tournament back then too. That sure helped." He took another sip from his cup, and then smiled to lighten up the mood. "Good work Hit-girl, have a cigar."

"I don't smoke." She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Don't I know that." He chuckled. "So did you think about the offer from the football team?"

"Football?" Leifang raised her eyebrows and looked at her friend, smiling. "I never knew you played football."

"Well I actually don't." She grinned embarrassed and pulled a few of her light brown locks behind her ear. "But I thought it might be fun, and the extra exercise is always good."

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be the female Beckenbauer in no time."

"Laugh it up all you want, Vik." The three shared a light hearted laugh.

* * *

By the time Hitomi and Leifang returned home it was already evening, though the sun would still be up for another few hours at this time of the year.

"Sorry for making you go shopping with me even though you probably wanted us to do something else." The German apologized to her friend who gave her a smile and shook her head.

"No it was fun." she lifted the bag she was holding. "Besides, I think we're going to have fun with this tomorrow."

They discarded their shoes and brought the bag into the kitchen, storing the ingredients. After finishing that up Hitomi decided to make the two of them something to eat, since they didn't have anything decent the whole day, and one couldn't get by on snacks and cake alone now couldn't they.

Since Leifang wouldn't be of much help for that she set out to dress in something more comfortable and pulled out the bed from the sofa and lied down on it, turning the TV on, deciding to kill some time watching some shows even if she didn't understand anything.

Hitomi walked out of the kitchen, deciding to take the time while the food didn't need her immediate attention to change out of her clothes, seeing how her friend was already way ahead of her in that regard. As she returned from her bedroom she looked at what her friend was currently watching.

"The contestant has to beat the other guy in various outlandish disciplines to win the jackpot money." She explained to Leifang, who turned to look over her shoulder. "Since they didn't beat him 3 times now it should be about 2 million Euros."

"I think it's pretty interesting, some of these things look pretty hard for a person that isn't trained." Leifang turned her gaze to the TV.

"When I'm finished we can watch one or two of my DVDs on English settings." Hitomi said and returned back into the kitchen.

About 20 minutes later she came back out with two plates full of noodles with tomato sauce and the forks stuck simply into them.

"Here, nothing fancy but it'll do. I'll make sure to have something more special ready some other time this week." She said smiling as she handed her friend the plate, setting hers safely down on the sofa turned bed so that she could go and fetch her DVDs. Two of her favorites; she returned and started them up.

"I'm really excited that you're going to visit me." Leifang told her as they ate while the previews were being shown.

"Yeah me too, I've never been to Hong Kong, so I hope you can show me around."

"Sure, but only if you show me around next time I'm here." She winked.

"Deal!" They both turned their attention back to the TV as the DVD menu was finally shown. "I really don't get why some have previews and some don't" she shook her head and started the movie with English audio.

They watched in silence, simply eating their dinner, until something else came to mind. "You know what? I will teach you some German and some cultural things when we have time. Could help you understand some things on TV."

"I'd love to learn from you, if it's not a bother."

"Hey it's my idea, so it would hardly bother me."

"Then I'll try to be a behaving student."

"Good. Then I won't have to slap your fingers."

Both girl laughed at the mental image and continued watching the movie. It was a simple yet entertaining movie, though not really outstanding in the Chinese's opinion.

The second one was more to her liking, since it was a martial arts movie that was always relevant for both women. Hitomi told her that it featured one of her favorite movie actresses, Pai Chan, and was one of those rather over the top Chinese epic movies that always managed to draw her in.

They had long since finished their dinner and had set aside the plates on the floor; the brunette would take care of them in the morning. As the movie credits ended it had gotten dark outside. The German stood up from her lying position and went over to the balcony door, opening it and going outside to catch some fresh air before calling it a day.

She was rather tired after today, though more mentally than physically. The even breeze made her feel even drowsier. Soft footsteps told her that Leifang had joined her on the balcony.

Hitomi turned around and leaned against the railing, looking at her friend, who looked back, her hands behind her back and a small smile on her face. She looked around. "This is where you danced 'butt naked'?"

Hitomi groaned. "Oh not you too. I told you I was excited that day, and I wasn't completely naked. I wore my panties. Ok it was a thong but still."

The Chinese lifted a hand to her face to hide her grin, chuckling and making the young Karateka glare at her. "I wasn't judging you, really. Though I'd like to know what got you so excited that you completely forget about that."

Letting out a sigh the brunette crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah I suppose I can tell you, might make a for a nice good night story."

Leifang leaned against the entry wall, looking at her patiently.

"Remember when I told you that my father was sick?" the Chinese nodded in confirmation. "Well that wasn't the whole story; I never told you how sick my father actually was. It was really bad; he had to stay at the hospital all the time and the dojo suffered from it, no work meant no money and no money meant no bills being paid. And since I couldn't help my father getting better I had to do something about the dojo and entered the 4th Dead or Alive tournament to meet an old friend of mine and convince him to help out attracting students."

Hitomi turned her head, looking at the streets where people were still walking by. "But he couldn't...he changed. So I did the only other thing I could do. I fought, harder than usual. And I managed to rank third place. With the price money I could keep the dojo afloat and also bought this place. Things were as good as could be at the moment."

She looked back at her friend, smiling brightly. "Then one day I got a call from the hospital, that my father was getting better and would make a full recovery. I was so happy the next few days,"

"That you forgot to dress up properly."

"Yeah. Though I wouldn't have realized it until Viktor ringed my doorbell and told me that I gave people a show. I couldn't look the other residents straight in the eye for one week." She had to laugh at the memory. "It was silly, but I was happy. I'm still happy."

Sky blue eyes met brown ones and lingered for a few moments.

"I...have to return home soon, by the end of the week." Leifang averted her gaze first, though not out of embarrassment. "I will have to tell my parents that I will receive a guest." She huffed. "Living at my own place, but still reporting to my parents."

"That's a pity. I was hoping we could spend a bit more time together."

"It's not like it will be for long, and after that I can come visit you again."

"I'd like that. I can show you around town then. I won't be busy with my lessons all the time."

"Then let's make that a promise!" Leifang held out her pinky.

Giggling Hitomi did the same, hooking it with her friend's. "Promise."

* * *

The week passed faster than each of them wanted to, and they found themselves at the Freiburg airport. This time they didn't have time for a quick match like they did in New York, so they made the most of it by other means.

They stopped for a quick drink at the airport café, though Hitomi choose to drink orange juice rather than coffee this time, saying something about not wanting to drink too much.

As Leifang's flight was called out Hitomi accompanied her friend like she had done in New York.

"Have a safe trip, we're gonna see each other in 4 weeks. I'll send you a mail when I leave."

"Good, I will pick you up then."

They hugged each other, saying their goodbyes and, as Leifang was about to let go, Hitomi planted a kiss on her friend's cheek. The Chinese took a step back, looking at her friend in shock, her hand flying up to where her lips had touched skin. "What are you doing!?"

Hitomi blinked and realized what the matter was. "Oh yeah, they don't do that over there. Well," she grinned and gave her friend a thumbs-up. "First lesson of German behavior: 'Friends kiss each other on the cheek to either greet or saying goodbye to a friend'"

"Oh..." Leifang looked dumbfounded for a moment; her heart had stopped for a second there. It was just a simple gesture of goodbye and here she thought...Yeah, well that was impossible. "Uh, you could've warned me, you know."

"Sorry, I was kinda,"

"Excited" they said in unison then burst into laughter.

"Well, take care." The Chinese said walked over to the gangway.

"Mhm!" Hitomi nodded and smiled, watching her friend go. As she left her line of sight the brunette felt something tug inside her chest, as she left the airport she realized it was sadness that tugged at her heart.

* * *

_**Ohohohoho. How lewd of you Hitomi!**_

_**Now for those of you readers that are of european descent the kissing on the cheek is no big deal, but for someone asian that's actually a big no-no. It really surprised me as well.**_

_**As for the guy at the start of the chapter...I figured Hitomi would know at least one weird guy in a way, and here it's through her dear neighbor.  
**_

_**I'm really excited about the things that will come next. So see you next week. :)**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Hitomi sighed in annoyance, erasing another answer she wasn't sure of with the eraser on the other end of her pencil. All in all the test wasn't as hard as she imagined it to be, at least in terms of the big questions, but somehow the small ones made it really hard due to them not being discussed in their entirely during lectures.

Taking a deep breath she scribbled her answer, not entirely sure if it was correct this time, but she didn't give a damn now. Time was running out on her.

"Five more minutes." The teacher announced. The brunette took a quick look at the papers in front of her. There were still some unanswered questions, but most of it she was sure she got right. Thinking for a moment she decided on just winging them, writing down what she felt was an appropriate answer to the question. At the very least she was sure she had over 50 percent in the bag, which was a pass and it wasn't a pure Multiple-choice test, so any wrong answer wouldn't bring her into negatives.

She put her pen down exactly in the moment her teacher passed her, taking her paper with a simple "Miss Buchfink." Hitomi felt a trickle of sweat run down her neck. That was a close one.

Taking off her reading glasses she slumped back in her seat, putting away her things and then tilted her head back, closing her eyes. Finally done.

The whole day had been nothing but tests, tests and tests, but she had known what she would get herself into when she entered University so she wouldn't complain.

Opening her eyes she grabbed her bag from the back of the chair and walked out of the lecture room and down the hall, making her way down the stairs and out of the huge double doors.

Once outside a smile crept onto her face, feeling her vigor return with every step she took towards the cafeteria of the University. Inside she decided on the macaroni and cheese and looked for a place to sit. She didn't need to look long, finding Viktor sitting alone at one of the tables, looking worse for the wear and his hair out of place, like he had ruffled through it more than once.

"Hey." She greeted cheerfully, gliding towards the opposite seat from him. He lifted his gaze from his half-eaten food. "You like look hell."

"Yeah semester finals can do that to you. I swear I'll sleep the whole day tomorrow." He yawned in emphasis and took another bite, eyeing her. She smiled at him, starting to eat her own meal.

"So how did you do?" he asked.

"I think I did well, or at least I hope so. I busted my ass over the last weeks to prepare for the finals. Would be a real downer if that was for nothing. And you?"

"I think I lost a few years of my lifespan thinking on some answers. At least feels like it." He blew on the food on his fork to cool it down a bit.

They ate in comfortable silence. Out of the blue Hitomi started humming cheerfully, much to her friend's annoyance.

"And why the hell are you so chipper?"

"Hehe can't you guess?" Hitomi grinned, resting her head on her left hand, wiggling on her seat a little bit.

"Sorry. My capability of guessing has been utterly destroyed for the day, so care to enlighten me?"

"My soon-to-be vacation!"

"Oh yeah. Totally forgot about that one. You wanted me to water your plants again, right?"

"That'll be great, yeah." Hitomi continued to eat, becoming more and more excited by the minute, Viktor noted.

"Jeez," he snickered. "You're acting like some girl that goes on her first date. You sure you there isn't something you wanna tell me?"

"Hey," she narrowed her eyes at him and pursed her lips. "I had a few dates" _And a little more than that,_ she added in her mind. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Are you telling yourself that every day before you sleep-Hey!" He was hit square in the face by a flung macaroni, the cheese dripping onto his glasses. He took the noodle between pointer and thumb and placed it onto the table before proceeding to clean his glasses. "Yeah, I think I deserved that one"

"Good, because you did" she told him simply.

After cleaning his glasses he put them back onto his nose, adjusting them. "Well at least you got yourself a good distraction from anxiously waiting for the test results. So any plans on what you girls are gonna do?"

"Well I suppose she will show me around town, and then we figure it out as we go"

"Good plan" he said dryly.

"We could also go to the beach, I heard they had some."

That got his attention all of a sudden. "Well bring me back a souvenir. Like maybe the number of a hot chick who's preferably fluent in English"

"Sure, anything else?"

He seemed to seriously ponder about this. "I like them with big boobs, a great butt would help too."

Hitomi only rolled her eyes as they resumed eating in silence. After they were finished they separated at the campus gate, Viktor mentioning that he still had something to do, so Hitomi made her way home alone.

Back home she took a quick shower since she didn't have the chance this morning, finished her other, more private hygiene and dressed herself in a simple long T-shirt (one of many she wore in bed) and went ahead to prepare for her upcoming trip, even though it would still be roughly a week away it was better to be prepare. She had already booked and paid her tickets so that only left her with packing.

As she gathered the clothes she would take with her to China she had to confess that Viktor was right though. She was pretty damn nervous and excited by the prospect of visiting her friend and getting a chance to see one of the most prominent cities of all Asia.

Her face flushed a bit and her face spread into a grin. This was gonna be great!

But really, her being like some girl all giddy because of her first date. "Viktor is full of crap sometimes." She murmured, opening a drawer and debating with herself if she should bother taking a jacket. It was still summer and China is usually warmer than Germany by a mile.

In the end she decided not to pack one. _And if worse comes to worse I just buy myself one over there._

The brunette checked the calendar on the far wall of her bedroom, just beside the bed. Now that her finals were done she had some time to do other things. She had already told her father she would help him fulltime the week before she went to visit Leifang to compensate for the time she would be away, even though her father had told her it would be fine, but it just seemed fair to her.

Today she would just laze around her apartment though. It's been a while since she just did that, just a nice day by herself on her couch with the TV and maybe the one or two sinfully tasty treats. But before that she would train a little.

Hitomi opened her balcony doors to let some fresh air. She always trained in front of it, simply by the fact that she had the most space in that corner of her apartment.

Going through her katas she wondered what her friend was up to right now. _Probably still sleeping_ if she remembered the time difference right. She punched the air, first with a low, then with a high aimed punch, before spinning around and doing a flying kick.

As she landed she went into the traditional karate pose. "Osu!"

Just in that moment a strong gust of wind blew into the room from the balcony, causing her already slightly raised up T-shirt to expose her lower body. With an "Eep!" she grabbed the shirt and pulled it down, blushing fiercely and just hoping that no one saw that she was going commando.

"Shit!" she swore and slammed the balcony door shut.

* * *

"Yes Mother, I'm sure it's fine!" The Chinese sighed into her phone, held between her shoulder and neck. "Really I'm not a teenager anymore. I think I can entertain a guest for a few weeks."

"I wasn't implying that you couldn't. I was just wondering if it wouldn't be better if you two came over and stay with us." Her mother said, soothingly over the line. Leifang rolled her eyes before looking at the two women sitting on each side of her tending to her finger nails.

She was at her most favorite manicurist in Hong Kong, wanting to have a day of absolute 'Me time' before she had to prepare everything for her friend's arrival. But apparently even that wasn't allowed to her these days, because her mother had decided to call and propose her grand idea of them staying over. _Yeah right. I don__'__t need someone looking over my shoulder when my friend is visiting._

"I mean we have a bigger place and I'm sure your father wouldn't mind. In fact he would be delighted to meet your friend, as would I."

"Mother, my place is big enough for her and me, I have a guest room after all, " She looked down to the woman who was giving her a pedicure, looking as if she didn't even notice the argument her client was having over the phone. "And I have Zhen, who will be there once a day. So I don't think I need an additional chaperone or two. But I promise you that we will come visit you."

On the other side of the line Zeng sighed, knowing that there wouldn't be any arguing with her daughter. "I suppose that is all I can ask for then."

"Love you, Mother. Bye."

"I love you too. And don't forget to call." Leifang motioned the manicurist to stop for a moment, hung up the phone and laid it back onto the table.

The Chinese took a deep breath and let the woman resume her work, closing her eyes. She felt just tired today and started to doze off a little. In her mind's eye she saw the face of someone who had been on her mind for years upon years, disregarding and beating her every time, showing her no respect until the day she had beaten him. She had noticed that her feelings for the man had changed, from the desire to beat him to a desire of another kind, dare she say love?

A gentle shake on her shoulder got her wide awake again, and she nodded a yes when she was asked if she wanted some nail polish. Nodding she choose clear nail polish, not in the mood for any certain color at the moment.

She went back to dozing off again, this time seeing the grinning face of her friend back when they were on their vacation on Zack Island sharing a cone of ice-cream, and felt the corners of her lips turn upwards.

It was early evening by the time she came back home, dropping her purse on the table and sinking down on the sofa.

"Did you have a nice day, miss?" asked her housekeeper, putting a cup of Oolong tea and a small bowl of almond tofu onto the small table in front of her.

"Yes, thank you." Leifang answered, taking the cup into her hand, inhaling it's aroma before taking a generous sip from it. "I needed that."

The other woman stood beside the table, looking calmly at her. Leifang drank another sip from the tea and put it back onto the table. "We have to do a few things. I will have a visitor for a few weeks, so the guestroom needs to be prepared, and we need to buy more groceries."

"I will take care of it." She said, bowing curtly. A smile made its way across her thin lips. "You seem to be eager for your friend to visit. It has been a while since I saw you like this."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"These past few years you have been so...focused I would say. Like there was something that needed to be done. But ever since you returned you seem more lighthearted again." She bowed again. "I will take care of the preparations." With that she took her leave, leaving Leifang alone in her musings.

Was she really coming off as different?

Unconsciously she lifted her hand up, touching her cheek where Hitomi had kissed her goodbye. When she realized what she had done she chuckled to herself. Spending more time with her friend was probably the cause of that.

It felt good and did keep her mind of more troubling things. Smiling to herself she took another sip of her tea and started to eat her delicious dessert, looking out of the large window and enjoying the view over the city.

The week couldn't pass more quickly.

* * *

_**Hitomi, Hitomi, Hitomi. Haven't you learned a thing?  
Germany can be a windy place at times.**_

_**Next up the vacation. Dis gun be good.**_

_**Until next week, guys.**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

The young German yawned to herself. She had just woken up from a nice long sleep, having been woken up by the two children that were eagerly playing with their two Nintendo or Sony handhelds (she never could tell the difference with those) in the seat beside hers, their mother looking apologetic and telling them to be quiet. She smiled and waved, signaling that it was ok.

Hitomi stifled another yawn and checked the clock on her wrist. The flight was about eleven hours long, give or take, and it seemed she still had an hour and a half to go. She thought about trying to get back to sleep for that little bit of time, but decided against it and stretched herself a little.

What she wouldn't give for a little training right now. Putting a hand on the back of her neck she twisted her head a little to the side until the stiffness was gone.

She grabbed the pair of head phones lying over her lap and put them on. Might as well just watch something. The movie that was currently on was half way finished, but it would keep her occupied enough.

Or not. She practically tossed them away when she noticed that it was some stupid flick about vampires and werewolves combined with some real shoddy romance.

This was one of the parts of traveling by plane that she didn't like. At least on a boat she could get some training in. _I__'__ll just train later_ she decided and looked out of the window, watching the Chinese landscape.

She had been busier than she had liked this week, due to more students applying for courses; it didn't surprise Hitomi that most of them were teenage boys, who probably only wanted to take a look at "the hot babe that was teaching there", or at least that's what Viktor had said when she told him about it. She couldn't deny it.

With so many students she had been thinking of canceling the trip to help her father, but he'd practically thrown her out of the door saying he could deal with a bunch of teenagers with the other instructors and wished her a nice vacation. Somehow she had the feeling he was glad that she'd be gone so that the students weren't too busy looking at her and might actually got the basics down.

Luckily Leifang hadn't been there to pay the dojo a visit, or else they might have gone into overdrive. The Chinese definitely looked better than her, with those long legs and silken hair. Or at least it was Hitomi's opinion.

And after having boarded the plane she was more than glad her father did it, realizing only then how stressed out she was.

Sighing she pulled out a magazine and decided to do a crossword puzzle to kill some time. She'd try her hand at Sudoku but try as she might she never was good at number riddles.

She was about to write down one of the last words when the flight attendant announced that they would be arriving soon. A quick look out of the window gave her a nice view over Lantau Island, where the Hong Kong International Airport was located, her eyes stopping directly at Disneyland Hong Kong. She made a mental note for Leifang and her to visit it during her time here.

After they landed she walked through the sea of people inside the Terminal, looking around to try and catch a glimpse of her friend.

"Ah! Sorry!" Hitomi apologized herself when she collided with someone. The man shouted at her in Chinese, grabbing her by her denim jacket. Just before he could do something else the Karateka grabbed his arm and wrenched it away, her strength clearly surprising him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with both hands, lifting him up a little.

"I am very sorry." She said to him, emphasizing on every word and smiling before letting go of him. He simply stumbled away. Whistling a melody she took her traveling case and continued walking. The other people didn't even notice this little exchange.

It didn't take her too long to get to the part of the terminal where people carried signs with names written on them, and there she was, holding a sign with her name written on it in Japanese writing, though she wasn't sure if 'Buchfink' was spelled correctly.

"_Bukufuinku_?" she mumbled to herself. _Was it really written like that? _It was times like these that made her wish she wasn't so lousy in Katakana.

"Leifang!" she called and waved towards her friend to get her attention, walking towards her.

"Hey." Leifang engulfed her friend in a short hug. "You look good."

"No, _you_ look good." Hitomi said, giving her friend a glance over. The Chinese was dressed in a simple loose white blouse and black shorts. On her feet she wore elegant black heels and expensive looking armlets on her wrist. Also, she noted, her nails were freshly done.

"Flatterer. So how was your flight?"

"Long and I'm glad to have solid ground under my feet again. I'm never gonna get used to flying" They both chuckled at that.

"Well, I have a taxi waiting outside. So I say let's get going." Hitomi followed her friend outside where a red taxi was waiting. Leifang talked with the driver in Chinese, who nodded and helped the brunette with her case, before getting back into the driver's seat. Both women sat in the back of the car. "Sorry, it's gonna take a bit until we're there."

"It's alright, after 11 hours on a plane this is a piece of cake. Besides this way we can catch up." She pointed with her thumb towards the door. "And I can open a window, that's an improvement."

She did exactly that as they drove onto the main street leading to the mainland. Leifang gave the taxi driver instructions and faced her friend.

"How are you?"

"A bit stressed. First my finals and then the increase of students in the dojo had me pretty busy. I tried to get some sleep on the plane, but got maybe an hour or two tops before I woke up again." She stifled a yawn. "I could just lie down and sleep some more. Uh, what time is it anyway?"

"Ah wait." Leifang checked her wrist. "11:30. so if you want you can take a nap when we get back."

"Only a short one or I'll be awake the whole night. So what's on the agenda?"

"For today? Nothing really. I was thinking we should take it slow today and have fun tomorrow. I can show you around town."

"Ok, I'm just the tourist here so whatever you decide to do is fine by me. Though," she lifted her pointer. "I do have one place I want to go to. But that's not on my immediate list."

"Well I know of this one place that you might like..."

They spent the rest of the way with idle chit-chat.

* * *

"Welcome to the Gāo residence." Leifang flourished her arm in a wide arc as they stepped into the Chinese's apartment. Hitomi's eyes widened in awe. She didn't think her friend's apartment would be this big.

_Is that a set of stairs I see there?!_ She closed her eyes in bewilderment and when she opened them they were still there. "Wow." She said simply. The interior consisted of largely modern furniture mixed with a little Chinese traditionalism. Forgetting her case at the door the German walked towards the large window in the living room, putting her hands carefully against the glass as she took in the panorama before her. It reminded her of home in a way, as seen only from a place that was very special to her.

"Impressive, huh?" Leifang joined her at the window; the brunette looked at her and shared a smile. Her friend turned her head so that she was looking over her shoulder, saying something in Chinese. Hitomi turned and saw a woman in her thirties who bowed to Leifang, then turned to Hitomi and did it again. The Karateka managed to bow in greeting as well before the woman turned around to fetch her case.

"This is Jin Zhen. My housekeeper." She explained her. "I will introduce you two later. Are you hungry? She told me there is some food in the kitchen."

"Yeah, that'll be great. Plane food is terrible."

While they ate a light meal the woman named Zhen approached Leifang, telling her something in Mandarin, she could see her eyebrow furrowing as she listened and nodded. After a short moment she smiled and pointed at Hitomi, telling the woman something in her native tongue, and then effortlessly switched back to Japanese. "Hitomi meet Jin Zhen."

"Nice to meet you." She said smiling, which Leifang promptly translated. The woman gave a small smile and took her leave. Leifang pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing in annoyance.

"What's wrong?"

"While we were away my mother called, and Zhen told her I was gone to pick you up. She wants me to call her back and I can already tell what it will be about." She let out another sigh then smiled. "No helping it now. Why don't you go and take that nap and I'll tell you what's up later?"

She wanted to protest, but a yawn made any resistance futile, so she decided to just give in. It's not like it was anything important after all.

They walked back into the living room, Leifang leading Hitomi to the base of the stairs as she spoke. "The guest room is up the stairs and to the left. Bathroom is on the right beside it and the room after that is mine."

"Thanks." Hitomi said gratefully and went up into the guest room. While it wasn't as fancy as the rest of the apartment it still held a certain charm for Hitomi. She noted that Zhen had already stored away her clothes.

Laying down on the bed she exhaled in exhaustion, closed her eyes and simply let herself drift into sleep.

* * *

When she awoke later that day she felt a lot better and, while not in tip top shape, would manage until it was a more suitable time to sleep. Looking out of the window she saw the sun high above the sky line, indicating that it was still afternoon.

Licking her dry lips to moisten them, she got off the bed and slapped her cheeks two times to dissipate the last bits of sleep before walking out of the door and down the stairs of the living room where her friend was sitting on the sofa, currently engaged in what seemed to be a mildly heated argument, if what little she knew of Mandarin was any indication.

She watched her for a few more minutes until Leifang seemed to have come to a close, hung up and let herself sink back into the sofa, closing her eyes and sighing as if she had just ran in a marathon. When she opened them again she locked gazes with Hitomi.

"We've been invited to dine at my parents' estate." she said simply, rubbing her left temple with index and middle-finger. For a moment it looked like she wanted to say more.

"You don't sound excited." Hitomi stated.

"I'm not, I had hoped to at least wait a few days before I sprung them on you, but that's not possible anymore. I tried to explain my mother that we would come over another day but she was adamant that it would be today, because father would leave for another trip." she told her friend, tapping her knee with her fingernails. "And blowing her off after that would've just been rude."

"Ok. I don't mind, really. It's just dinner."

"Yeah." her friend conceded. "I don't know why I'm making such a fuss about it either."

"Sooooo." Hitomi leaned forward, resting her chin on the palm of her hands, a toothy grin on her face. "Guess I finally meet the parents."

The Chinese couldn't help but giggle at that. "That just sounded wrong."

"Huh?" Hitomi blinked.

Leifang just waved her off. "Nevermind."

"Ok whatever you say, I think. Ah! Should I dress in something more fancy?" she asked. She was still wearing her usual combo of jeans and tank top.

"No. And if they got something to say I'm just gonna point out that it's their fault for springing this on us so suddenly. Hmm," she rubbed her chin. "You might want to do something about your hair though. Looks like a bird's nest."

Hitomi's hand rose to her head and sure enough her hair was all over the place. She just wanted to ask if she could use the bathroom to freshen up when Leifang beat her to the punch. "Go ahead, we still have some time until my father's driver is picking us up. Use whatever you like"

"Thanks." She got up from the sofa and went into the bathroom, a small part of her excited about meeting her friend's parents as if she was meeting those of her boyfriend.

Chuckling to herself she turned on the tap to gather some water in her hands and splashed her face. _Silly you_ she thought, watching the droplets as they fell from her face.

* * *

_**Ohohoho, Hitomi how forward. Already meetin' the parents, eh?**__**Seriously though it's good to know that underneath all that money Leifang still has nosy parents. I think some of us can relate to that.**_

_**And yeah I think Hitomi is the kind of girl that would like Disneyland.**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Roughly a hour and a half after Hitomi went to freshen herself up the driver arrived to take the pair to the estate of Leifang's parents. It wasn't too far away from where her friend lived, maybe another thirty minutes, depending how the traffic was at the time.

It was located at the very outskirts of the district, where the population density was lower to afford the space for the more luxurious mansions that were built here. Hitomi looked out of the window of the car in silent awe of how expensive the whole area looked while her friend just looked at her with silent amusement.

Hitomi was always prone to react like that to luxury, having humble origins, and the German could still remember how at awe she was when she worked on that luxury cruiser during one of the past Dead or Alive tournaments. She doubted she would ever lose that habit.

The driver pulled into a long driveway and Hitomi looked at a rather modern looking estate, quite the contrary to what she would have expected, three stories high and it looked like it had more rooms than her apartment building.

The brunette whistled through her teeth at the sight of it. She caught sight of two men tending to the various flowers and plants that formed the front garden of the estate. The driver pulled up in front of the small set of stairs made of white marble that lead to the front doors of the building.

Before Hitomi could open the door the driver already beat her to the punch, bowing respectfully as he did so and closing the door after they got out diligently, then walked ahead of them to open the doors and announce their presence. The German looked around the interior. The main hall was a huge room with four doors to each side leading to different wings of the estate and right in front of them was a set of stairs that lead to the second and third floor.

A vase near the front door caught her attention. It was white with a blue phoenix on it, not unlike the one that adorned Leifang's Cheongsams, and looked very, _very _expensive, like burning half through her prize money expensive. She was about to touch the blue phoenix, but caught herself just in time, let her hand drop back to her side and shook her head, thinking _Wouldn't be a good first impression if I broke something now, wouldn't it?_

"Hitomi!" At the mention of her name she spun around, facing her friend who chuckled.

While looking at the vase she had missed the person that had approached them from the top of the stairs. She walked towards Leifang and only caught a few snippets of things that were said. Next to her friend stood a near mirror image of her friend, only dressed more elegantly, her hair cut shorter so it barely reached her shoulders and, if you looked carefully, a few small wrinkles on either side of her mouth which were covered up by decent make-up, who looked at her with a curious expression on her face. _Guess that's the mother _she figured.

"Hitomi, this is Gāo Zeng, my mother." Leifang told her, then added. "I'm sorry, but she doesn't speak Japanese."

Smiling, Hitomi nodded and bowed respectfully, giving her a simple "Nice to meet you." which Leifang promptly translated. Mrs. Gāo looked at her for a moment, no reaction to the words, before a smile graced her red lips and spoke to her daughter.

"She says that she is delighted to make your acquaintance." Her friend told her and as her mother spoke further translated dutifully. "She says that it would be best if we sat down in the living room. My father should return from work soon."

Leifang's mother lead them through hallway into the living room that was exactly if not more so richly furnished as the main hall and Hitomi got the feeling that if she went to the bathroom that she would see a washbasin and toiled bowl made out of gold. _I must be losing my mind..._

Mother and daughter sat down on two sofas opposite of each other, a glass table between them, and Hitomi, checking quickly if her pants weren't dirty, sat down beside her friend.

A young woman entered the room, holding a tray in her hands which she placed onto the table. She placed a cup in front of each woman and one in front of the currently still unoccupied space and filled them with tea. She waited until getting her leave by the older woman and, with a bow, left them, leaving the tea can.

Hitomi took her cup, extra careful, while the other two ignored them and took a small sip from it, managing to keep her face straight as the contents nearly burned her tongue. She covered up her discomfort with a small cough and placed it back.

"A little too hot?" Leifang asked amused and the young Karateka just nodded. "Father likes it like that."

_Is that good or bad news now?_ She wondered and looked around the room, then turned to Mrs. Gāo. "You have a lovely home." she complimented.

The woman looked at her daughter as she translated what Hitomi had said, smiling and nodding then answered. Leifang turned to her. "Well before you ask the furniture is all her idea since my father, and that is what she really said, couldn't be bothered by something like that and if it was left to his devices the whole house would probably be empty aside from some chairs, beds and the odd table or two." She giggled. "Yeah that sounds about right."

Hitomi opened her mouth to answer when a deep voice from the other side of the room cut her off. Her friend's smile widened as she got up and walked across the room. "Father!"

She watched her friend capturing the man in a tight hug. The brunette knew a little about the man from what Leifang had told her. He was a strict man, but rather lenient when it came to his only child. The day when he learned that a spot on the back of his head was losing hair he ordered his barber to shave it off completely, leaving him bald rather than something in between. He wasn't the type to deal in anything but absolutes when it came to his person.

The precisely trimmed goatee he was sporting had been there since Leifang could remember and, as Hitomi noted, didn't have any gray in it yet. He was dressed in a dark gray business suit, waistcoat and all, giving off an aura of a confident businessman with decades of experience and success.

Father and daughter spoke to each other, the smallest of smiles that the German had ever seen on his face, before turning to where Mrs. Gāo and her were sitting, walking towards them and sitting down. Mr. Gāo greeted his wife, though he didn't kiss her. She didn't seem to mind, simply placing her hand on her husband's knee.

The first thing he did was taking a sip of his tea, clearly enjoying the temperature of it, then turned his attention on Hitomi, his eyes scanning her with a searching look, looking a bit like the eyes of a hawk. She was about to say something when, "Gāo Jintao, it's a pleasure." he greeted her in fluent Japanese and when Hitomi gave her friend a puzzled look he explained. "In my type of business it's important to know various languages, though I'm afraid you'll find my German more than lacking, Miss Buchfink." he turned to his daughter. "Go on, you don't want your mother to miss out of the conversation, right?"

"So you know me?" Hitomi asked.

"Oh I do. After all, my daughter mentioned you countless times and I did happen to see you participate in the Dead or Alive tournament, though I didn't realize that it was you until my daughter did mention it again. Congratulations by the way, you didn't make it easy for the young man that beat you in the finale. Your Karate was superb."

Now Hitomi felt embarrassed and could feel her nervousness returning, brushing a stray lock behind her ear. "I'm honored."

"I'm just stating the facts, really." he took another sip. "Since you are obviously a black belt, might I be so forward and ask how long you hold that rank now."

"Since I was 18- no wait, actually a little bit before that, it was a few weeks before my birthday."

"Really? That is impressive and at such a young age." he looked at his daughter who was busy translating what they said to her mother. "Not unlike my Leifang here. And where did you train?"

Smiling eagerly she told him all about her father's dojo and how he had trained her from an early age. The man in front of her listened patiently while drinking his tea, his face betraying no emotion but clearly interested in what she had to say. It quickly turned into her telling them about the first time she participated in the Dead or Alive tournament, leaving out some of the more personal things, how she met Leifang and how they had become friends.

"Hmm wasn't that island destroyed before the 4th tournament?" he asked as she mentioned Zack Island.

"It was? I didn't hear anything about that. We were there a second time after the 4th, weren't we?" she asked her friend, who nodded in confirmation.

"Very well, I probably misheard it then." he placed his now empty cup back onto the table and even the women on the table had decided during the tale that the tea was now more to their liking. He stood up, pointing to an adjacent room. "Would you mind a closer demonstration of your Karate?"

Hitomi looked at him, confusion on her face. "Uh you want to watch your daughter and me fight?"

"Oh no no. I was talking about me." he pointed at himself to clarify what he just said.

"Father!" Leifang said, and his wife turned a disapproving look towards him. He simply said something to her in Mandarin, causing her to roll her eyes and shake her head with a sigh and then looked at his daughter. "You want to say something?"

Leifang opened her mouth but decided to say nothing and lowered her eyes.

"Good. Miss Buchfink-"

"Please just Hitomi."

"Hitomi then. Are you willing to indulge an old man a little bit?"

She looked between her friend and Mrs. Gāo hesitantly before returning her gaze to the man, simply nodding. What could it hurt? She could simply hold back and she was aching for a little training right now anyway.

The tiny smile crawled back onto his face. "Good."

Jintao led her into a room and closed the door behind them. Looking around she saw that there was more than one vase and other furniture objects in here that could be broken. "Um, right here?"

"Yes, don't worry if we break something." he said, pulling off the jacket of his gray business suit, but leaving on the waistcoat, and loosening his cuffs, placing them onto a nearby table. He stroked his goatee with thumb and pointer, contemplating something. "Hmm, yes." He pulled of his shoes. "I believe it's safer this way."

The German agreed and pulled off her own brown boots. No matter how much she would hold back it would still hurt a lot if she kicked him with them on.

"You have to excuse me, I'm a bit rusty." he told her.

They walked into the center of the room. "Ready?" he asked, placing his right hand, formed into a light fist, against his left palm.

"Ready." She bowed in respect.

They both got into position. He took in a firm stance so that his body looked a bit smaller holding his right hand to his side while extending his left with the palm facing upward.

Hitomi raised a puzzled brow, assessing her options and as he did nothing lunged forward, throwing a punch at him. Jintao stepped slightly to the side, snaked his right arm around hers and attacked with his left, delivering a quick punch against her collarbone. "Hit." he said simply. He punched a second time but two could play that game and before it could connect the young woman blocked it with her free arm, swatted his arm aside and dodged the next one by making a sidestep, pulling him along with her. She used her right leg to trip him up and used the momentum to free her arm from his grip.

The older man managed to get his balance back and turned around just to be grabbed by his left arm and thrown over her shoulder, landing on the floor rather roughly and being exposed to the punch that she aimed at his face.

"Hit." she said grinning, her fist just inches away from his face. She uncurled her fist to help him up. "I'm a bit surprised. That was no Tai Chi Quan."

"Just because my daughter practices it doesn't mean I have to, but I suppose many people would think that. Tell me do you recognize this style?"

"Oh yes I do. It's Wing Chun."

"Very good." the smile on his face looked a bit bigger now from where Hitomi was standing. He returned into a fighting position, this time he held out both hands, the left one lower than the right. "Shall we continue?"

"I'd love to." she bowed again. "I hope for an educational exchange."

* * *

_**There will always be a Zack island. No exceptions.**_

_**So now we finally got to know Leifang's parents. Loveable aren't they. And I always said we needed a Wing Chun practitioner in Dead or Alive. Would be a better rival for Jann Lee than some Taek Kwon Do Oil Rig dude if you ask me.**_

_**Oh well, see you next week guys. ;)**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

The blow came quickly, but Hitomi managed to block it rather easily, taking a step back from the man and, as he followed her with a step of his own, kicking her right leg to the left after shifting her position, intending to sweep him off his feet. He simply changed his stance and lifted his leg to deflect her kick with his own, unbalancing her enough so that her side was exposed, and slammed into her with his right shoulder, pushing her a few feet away.

Not wanting to give him a break she took a quick step to the side and aimed a high sideways kick at his head. She cursed inwardly as he blocked it with the palm of his left hand midair, grabbing her ankle, and deftly blocked the punch she threw at him with his right. He then guided his hand down her leg to the back of her knee and pushed her away again, this time leaving her sprawled on the floor.

_Damn!_ She clearly had underestimated him. _Rusty my ass._

Thinking for a moment Hitomi charged at him, punching towards his mid-section, which he easily swatted aside with his left. She had done this two times already in their little sparring match, and by the second time she had noticed that it left him exposed for a short moment. This time she intended to make good of it.

As her right arm was swatted aside she used it to change the angle of her arm, bent it and brought her elbow up, smacking him across the face and leaving him stunned and exposed for a quick one-two combo to his chest with her fists before taking in a steadier stance and delivering one of her stronger punches directly into his mid-section. The force of the punch drove him backwards, nearly making him fly, and made him collide with one of the expensive vases.

The young Karateka's eyes widened as it danced around, as if weighing its two options of either falling down or staying put, before finally deciding on falling, smashing onto the floor and bursting into tiny pieces.

_Shitshitshitshitshitshit!_ She thought and rushed towards Jintao, who was rubbing his back where it had crashed into the vase looking down at what was left of it. "I'm so sorry! I got carried away, are you all right?"

The man checked the side of his mouth where her elbow connected for blood and, when finding none, nodded. Hitomi's eyes darted to the broken vase. "I'll pay for it, I promise."

He held his hand up palm out. "I told you to not worry. This is easily replaceable and I chose the location after all."

"But-"

"No," he told her. "It's fine, really." He walked with her back to the middle of the room, rolling up his sleeves. "That was a good hit. So I assume we can now start to get serious?"

"I, um, if that is what you want, sure." she said, albeit reluctantly.

"Good." He started towards her suddenly, catching her off guard for a moment and landing a precise strike against her collarbone. Before she could react, he struck her with his right elbow just under her chin causing her head to snap backwards, spun around and slammed the back of his hand into her side.

The Karateka stumbled a little to the side but managed to gather her wits and kicked her knee upwards, slamming it directly against his forehead. She straightened her leg after he stumbled back,rose it high above and brought it down in a vicious arc towards his head.

He managed to dodge to the side at the last second, jumped up and grabbed the arm she was about to use to punch him in the face, grabbing the other one and crossing them over each other before pulling them down and letting go just as quickly, leaving her exposed to the rough shove he gave her. Before she could fall backwards he grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her back, let go and put his hands on either side of her face, pressing his thumbs roughly against the space between her eyes.

Hitomi brought her arms up, swatting his aside and punched him in the stomach with her right before bringing it up to slap the back of her hand across his face and grabbing his arm to throw him over her shoulder again. Just as she was about to do so Jintao turned the tables on her and pulled back and her with it, turning her around slightly and delivered a few carefully aimed punched directly at her face before pushing her back, causing her to stumble a bit and leaving her back exposed.

When she felt his hand on her shoulder she slammed her elbow back, driving it into his gut, turned around and struck him with her fist in the same place, slamming him back a few feet.

Breathing heavily she returned into her stance and watched him, breathing hard himself, undoing his waistcoat and throwing it to where his jacket was lying then nodded at her.

With a shout she dashed forward and jumped, spinning and aiming a kick straight at his head, but the man didn't stay put, dashing forward himself and catching her midair, and pushing her down onto the carpeted floor. Hitomi immediately rolled to the right to dodge the foot that was coming toward her face and got to her feet. Nimbly, she dodged under his next attack and struck him with the palm of her right hand across his face, using the momentum to spin around and slamming it into his chest.

The brunette heard the door open, looked to the side and saw her friend walking in. She opened her mouth to say something, then heard as the man tsk-ed and felt herself being struck in a flurry of punches against her chest, pushing her back. Grunting she kicked out her leg, which he caught as he brought his elbow down on her knee, but before it could connect Hitomi pushed against his shoulders with all of her might and jumped, causing them to tumble down onto the floor where she managed to wrestle herself free, grabbed his head and aimed her knee directly at his temple.

She stopped just inches from it, breathing heavily. She heard the man chuckle, before bursting into laughter in which she heartily joined in, letting him go as she slumped to the floor beside him.

"What is it, Leifang?" he asked through his laughter. Hitomi managed to get a good look at her friend, who looked as if she didn't really want to be in here.

"Mother wanted me to ask if you two would finish up before something else is broken." she told them, sighing and rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Did she now? Well," he started, chuckling while getting up from the floor. "You can tell your mother to calm down. We're finished, right?"

"Yeah" Hitomi agreed and pushed herself up as well, brushing off her pants as she got back onto her feet. They faced each other and bowed.

"Thank you for the exchange." the Karateka said.

"No thank _you_" The man walked over to his discarded clothes and gathered them up, then turned to his daughter, who was still standing there, smiling at Hitomi. "Your friend is a good fighter. A shame that she didn't win. Oh, was there something else?"

"Yes, Mother wanted to ask if she should get started making dinner." Leifang said.

"No." he said, earning him a puzzled look from his daughter. "I changed my mind. We'll dine at the restaurant tonight. Don't worry I'll tell your mother myself."

With that he left the room, stopping for a moment at his daughter's side. "You two should return home. I'll tell the driver, we'll come and pick you up later. Hitomi should change into something nice and will probably want to take a shower after our little bout, god knows I need one."

Nodding to Hitomi goodbye he walked out of the room. Gathering her boots and putting them on she walked over to her friend, who still smiled at her.

"So," she said grinning. "Did I pass?"

The Chinese giggled "Yes. Yes you did. Let's go and get you fixed up then."

"About that. I don't have anything really fancy in my luggage." she told her.

Leifang tapped her chin letting out a "Hmm" in thought.

* * *

After they had gotten back Leifang had pretty much ordered her friend to take a bath even though the Karateka had insisted that a shower would be enough, but the Chinese proclaimed that it would only be fair if she got to enjoy the luxuries like she did every day she was at home and Hitomi just decided to let her be, knowing how she could get if she made up her mind.

And she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the bath immensely. Closing her eyes she slid deeper into the water, letting out a contented sigh. Jacuzzis were awesome.

Her eyes perked up suddenly when she heard the rustling of clothes and the sound of them hitting the floor behind her. Opening her eyes and turning around she saw her friend about to discard her bra. "Leifang? What are you doing!?"

The Chinese stopped for a moment, cocking her head to the side, then simply let her bra decent onto the floor. "I want to take a bath myself, and since we're a bit strapped for time I was thinking we could share."

"Uhm, are you really sure it's ok?" Hitomi asked, getting a little bit flustered and sinking a little deeper into the water. This was definitely a new one. Sure they've been around each other in bathing suits more than once, but never naked. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious.

"Yeah. It's nothing special, we're just bathing together. You Germans have group showers, this isn't much different, or am I wrong?" She took off her panties and Hitomi found herself looking her smooth legs and hips up and down enviously.

"No, I suppose not." she conceded, looking her friend in the eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments, before Leifang smiled cockily.

"Then I must be right." she said, sitting down on the edge and then slid into the water, closing her eyes and sighing in pleasure. She remained this way for a few minutes in which Hitomi didn't know what to do, then opened her eyes again. "Turn your back to me."

"Eh?" _What?_

"Turn around, I'm gonna wash your back for you and afterward you can do the same for me."

"Oh you meant that." she said and did as she was told. She felt her friend position herself behind her, feeling the heat that radiated from her body.

"What did you think I meant?" The Chinese asked and started washing her back.

"Nothing..." Hitomi could only murmur, not wanting to think that there were a few things that it could meant, shutting her eyes as her friend gently washed her back. _I really need a boyfriend._

Unconsciously she let her hand drop to her side to where Leifang had positioned one of her feet, gently brushing against the side of it, eliciting a giggle from her friend.

"Hey, stop that. I'm ticklish there."

"Sorry." The Karateka pulled her hand away embarrassed.

"No harm done." Leifang assured her and Hitomi, despite her embarrassment, couldn't help herself and cracked a smile as a comfortable silence set in.

* * *

"Come on, just try it on. It will suit you." They were both standing in Leifang's room, the wardrobe thrown wide open. Leifang was already dressed up in one of her trademark Cheongsam and held out one of her blue ones towards the German, who was dressed in her undies looking at her skeptically.

"I don't think so." In Hitomi's opinion long dresses didn't suit her at all. She was more of the blouse and dress pants or skirt type and the few dresses that she did own were either work related or short black ones that were rather simple. This was a complete other league.

"Don't be ridiculous, you'll look stunning." Without getting another say in the matter the Chinese had pushed the dress into her hands, then crossed her arms in front of her chest and tapped her bare foot on the floor expectantly.

"All right, all right, fine." Hitomi, with a little bit of help, put on the Cheongsam, then turned to the mirror, looking herself up and down. _Still good 'ol Hitomi._

Leifang clasped her hands onto her shoulder, smiling at her through the mirror. "You look great."

"Really?" Hitomi didn't agree on that one.

"Yes, now sit down here. I want to do something." The Karateka let herself be guided by her friend and sat down onto a chair. Immediately after sitting down her friend started to work on her hair, pulling out her hair band in the process and tossing it away somewhere into the corner of her room.

After about fifteen minutes she was done and Hitomi saw that her hair was pulled up into an elegant ponytail with a few deliberately loose strands here and there. She looked...good she had to admit.

"Perfect" said Leifang, proud of her own work. The German looked herself once over one more time before grabbing the front of her Cheongsam between thumb and pointer of her right hand.

"It's a bit tight around the chest though." she said, then looked at Leifang who was puffing her cheeks and putting her hands on her hips "What?"

The dark haired girl simply huffed at that.

* * *

_**Finally, the first bathing scene**_. **I bet a lot of you were waiting for that :P**

**Next up dinner with the parents.**

**See you next week, guys.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

True to Jintao's words they were later picked up by Leifang's parents. This time, instead of the very expensive Mercedes they were picked up by a limousine. The two of them sat down in the seat row across from Jintao and Zeng, both of them dressed to impress.

Leifang explained her that the Restaurant they were going to was located in Causeway Bay in the central of Hong-Kong Island, and that the name was derived from _South of Hollywood Road_. It was mostly an entertainment zone that had many international restaurants and clubs located there, but the one they were going to served mostly Chinese food.

Hitomi was rather surprised that they wouldn't go to a place that was more extravagant, like Causeway Bay, which was nearer to where Leifang lived but once they arrived she saw that it was clearly one of the more expensive places and one would probably only get a table if they got a reservation.

When she asked if they had one Jintao chuckled and explained. "We always have a reservation. This Restaurant belongs to my wife," He got out of the car when the driver opened it for them, helping each of the ladies out personally. "She has three in total and this one is her newest. She opened it when SoHo started to become more fashionable in recent years. At first I thought she was mad, but it seems that her sixth sense was, once again, right in that regard. She used to be a cook, you see."

"Really? I love to cook myself." Hitomi said. "Do you think your wife could give me a few recipes that I could try?"

"I will ask her later." Leifang said, joining the conversation.

"Thanks." After they entered a woman, who Hitomi figured was the head waitress, approached Zeng, speaking to her in Mandarin and bowed before leading the four of them to a table that was a little more secluded from the other ones.

Another waitress approached their table, handing out the menus while the head waitress herself delivered them a bottle of Shaoxing Lao Jiu. As Leifang would later explain to her, it her father's favorite and Hitomi found herself not being able to say no when she was asked if she wanted some.

_A little can't do any harm_ she figured as they clanked their glasses and took a sip from the reddish liquid. She wasn't a huge expert on wine but she was very sure it was a rather dry one and, letting the taste sink in a little more, decided that she liked it well enough.

Afterward they ordered their food, her friend relaying her order to the waitress. A few minutes passed then all of a sudden Leifang's mother got out of her seat, telling her husband something then leaving to walk into the kitchen.

"Occupational disease." he commented. He refilled his glass then aimed his gaze directly at the German. "I didn't manage to ask this earlier, but what are you doing right now? Occupation wise I mean."

"I'm currently studying, I major in pedagogy, but I'm also hoping to get a degree in sports and sociology. Also German studies, but that is everyone's favorite secondary subject."

"Oh, so you want to be a teacher?" he asked.

"Something like that, yeah. I figured it would certainly help me if I want to have a Dojo for myself one day, and if that doesn't work, well I always liked children." she flashed a smile at the man, who rose a brow.

"That is good. If only my daughter," he looked pointedly. "Would be thinking about her neglected studies."

"Father!"

He lifted his hands in a placating manner, a thin smile on his face, before speaking again. "I'm not rushing you, I'm mainly saying it so that I can, with good conscience I might add, tell your mother that I breached the subject to you. Of course I would be pleased if you started to continue your studies." he added as an afterthought.

Hitomi watched her friend who rolled her eyes at her, then took a sip from the wine, placed the glass back onto the table and ran her fingertip along the rim. "I promise that I'll think about it." she said.

"Your mother will be pleased to hear that." He glanced towards the kitchen doors, shaking his head. "If she doesn't return in a few minutes I can safely assume she took over the cooking."

"Has she done that before?" the brunette inquired, finishing the last of her wine and nodding when Jintao offered her to refill it.

Leifang raised her hand to her lips, trying and not really succeeding to stifle a giggle. "She sure did. Mother can be a downright tyrant in the kitchen. She also isn't all too keen if you criticize her food too much."

The Karateka blinked at that. "How so?"

"Hmm, I think it was about 23 years ago in Shanghai, you see we're originally from there, when I first met her." the older man told her. "I managed to get my first big deal and some associates and me went into this restaurant we heard about. I don't know what I ordered, I think it was Chun Pei Ngau Yuk, but well it didn't taste very good, and I was so arrogant at that day and said as much to the waiter and that he should 'relay it to the dimwit that made this disaster'. And true enough he did, as I learned when a rather furious young cook came out of the kitchen, right at me, kitchen knife in her hand twirling dangerously between her fingers like it was only a pen. I really thought that she would attack me."

Hitomi tried to imagine all this, a more petite version of her friend, all dressed up in a cook uniform, handling a knife like that so casually while probably shaking with fury at the time. "What did you do, did you apologize to her?"

"No, I told her exactly what I thought about her food. I think the only thing holding her back at that moment was the owner standing beside her. She left without saying a word." He emptied his glass and placed it onto the table. "I was given another dish and had completely forgotten about her, until my associates and me left the establishment, and outside I found her, waiting. It seemed that her shift had been over shortly before she burst out of the kitchen."

The corner of his lips turned up into a slight smile. "I was just about to say something when she slapped the rest of the food right into my face, asking me if I liked it better now."

"Oh my," Hitomi couldn't keep the grin of her face as the image of what he just told her popped into her mind. From what she saw the woman didn't seem to be the type to strike out like that. "What did you do then?"

"I calmly asked for her number and if she wanted to go on a date with me. She was so confused that she actually did just that." Both girls giggled at that. It did explain a little bit to Hitomi where Leifang got her impulsiveness from.

She looked over to her friend, who had a smile on her face, looking like she was reliving fond memories from long ago, and she tried picturing how it must have been when Leifang heard that story the first time.

"I like to say that my dear daughter took completely after her mother, aside from the interest in martial arts." he said.

"Father!" Leifang giggled and her father only shrugged.

"It's true." He looked at Hitomi. "But I'm sure that my wife is happy that my daughter made such a good friend with her 'Martial Arts nonsense' as she likes to call it. And such a talented one as well."

"Oh please." Hitomi tried to hide the blush that was creeping onto her cheeks. She was used to being complimented about her fighting prowess but it was somehow different when it came from the father of the person whom she regarded as her best friend.

"Your daughter is also very talented." she said after a moment of trying to suppress her blush.

"That she is. It's just too bad that she didn't take up Wing Chun as I did."

"Not for lack of trying," Leifang reminded him, a teasing tone in her voice. "I tried very hard, but in the end it was you who gave up and said I could choose whatever I liked to learn." She raised her hand, placing it where her heart was. "And in my heart I knew that it was the Tai Chi Quan that was calling out to me..."

"I know I know..."

"Everything in the world exists within the Tai Chi" they finished together, looking each other in the eye, neither blinking for several moments as Hitomi watched them until Leifang broke the staring contest and looked down onto the table.

"And what are you two planning for the next few weeks?" he asked Hitomi, his voice betraying no emotion of what had just transpired.

"Uhm, well it's my first time here so I was hoping that Leifang could show me some interesting places. Maybe go to the beach if the weather is nice, and well there's one place I definitely wanna check out." she told him, a bit embarrassed about the last part.

"We have a few nice beaches, though you might want to avoid those that are more known than others, but Leifang knows about that better than I do." he brushed his fingers across his goatee. "I hope you two will have fun. And before I forget, your mother and I will leave on another business trip tomorrow evening, so we won't be seeing each other again before you return home."

"That's too bad. But it was nice meeting you Mr. Gāo." Hitomi said.

"Likewise."

"Mother is returning." Leifang said tersely after glancing towards the doors leading to the kitchen.

"Good, that means she hasn't taken over the kitchen." Jintao said, turning towards his wife as she sat down.

The rest of the evening was spend in a pleasant atmosphere, but it was undermined by the tension that was surrounding father and daughter after their last talk and Hitomi found herself joining her friend in her silence, only joining in when spoken to and then only in short sentences.

* * *

It was about 11pm when they returned to Leifang's apartment. Their faces were a bit flushed from the alcohol that they had been drinking during dinner and they were a bit tipsy, evidenced by the fact that they took longer to pull off their heels than normal.

The two friends plopped down onto the sofa, looking out of the window across the skyline of Hong Kong, neither one uttering a word and for minutes the only sound you could hear was the sound of their breathing.

Hitomi raised her hands and undid the pony tail, letting her hair cascade down, and ran a hand through it to untangle it a little. Not that it would matter much, since she had to do it again in the morning, but it kept her occupied until her friend would choose to talk what was on her mind.

After a few more minutes the Chinese broke the silence. "My father took his Wing Chun very serious when he was younger. Not so much in recent years, but when I was younger he encouraged me very much to learn it as well, since he thought I'd inherited his talent, but I didn't find it very interesting at all until something happened that made me change my view on it."

She let a sigh pass her lips. "He was half right. The talent was definitely there but I just couldn't get into Wing Chun as much as he did. I learned the movements but the passion wasn't there. In the end he gave up and I took up Tai Chi Quan under a different Sifu with his blessing, but I knew deep down that he was very disappointed," She turned towards her and Hitomi met her yes, locking onto her gaze and never once looking away from those beautiful dark brown eyes. "And still is to this day. I hoped he had gotten over it over the years, but today showed me otherwise... I think he'll never forgive me for this."

"But he seemed to be ok earlier."

"On the outside yes, but I felt it in his gaze, the way he was looking at me. Deep inside he wishes that it wouldn't be Tai Chi of which I talk with such passion and no matter what I do he will always feel like this." she shook her head with a sigh, her shoulders slumping in the process. "Well at least he seemed to take a shine on you. I don't want to imagine what would've happened if he disliked you."

"I can hardly imagine that to be honest." Hitomi admitted. Mr Gāo seemed nice enough. Maybe not the greatest in expressing his emotions, with his lack of smiles, but the few he gave were genuine.

"Well that is because you met the nice him. The not-so-nice him is quite different but you would really need to rile him up for that. After all he did forbid me to practice Tai Chi once and I didn't dare disobey at the time."

"Why was that anyway?"

"I kinda beat up the son of an associate because he was feeling me up."

"Wow, guess I dodged a bullet there, huh?"

"Like you wouldn't imagine." the Chinese chuckled. Hitomi scooted over a little closer to her friend, who did the same, and put her right arm around the other's shoulder. Almost simultaneously they leaned their heads against one another, gazing out of the window once more.

"I'm glad you came to visit me."

"I'm glad I visited."

* * *

**_Hitomi-sensei please teach me a lot!_**

**_I figured having that as her major focus for the future would be an interesting idea. It certainly would help her if she decides to have her own dojo. Now the major focus here was showing some more tidbit's of Leifang's _lovely_ family life._  
**

**_Stay tuned for the next update. See you next week._**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

A contented sigh made its way past the German's lips as the warm breeze blew across her body. She was lying on her back, arms folded behind her head, on a spread out beach towel beneath the shade of parasol that they had brought with them.

Her eyes were closed and while she couldn't see her, she felt the presence of her friend laying beside her on her own towel. A few days had passed since the dinner with her parents and like Jintao had said her friend knew a great beach on Lantau Island that wasn't too populated, offered a great view and the water was crystal clear. And while it wasn't the beaches of Zack Island, which were probably the best beaches of the world just for the fact that they'd almost been utterly alone except for some staff and the other girls, Cheung Sha Beach had its own charm.

Leifang had spent the last few days showing her around the Wan Chai District, showing her a few stores that she frequented, places that she ate, where Hitomi managed to get the recipe for a very delicious Dim Sum from one of the chefs and then watched one of the new Pai Chan movies together. It seemed to the German that her friend had to digest the situation with her father, so she waited until she was sure that she was back to normal before springing her one of the requests she had on her list.

And since the weather was so nice and it was pretty hot outside, she started off simple with going to the beach.

"Sure I know a pretty good one." she had said, a cheeky grin on her face. They took a taxi, the driver knowing the way to where they had to go beforehand, and had gotten out a good way from the beach itself. The Chinese explained to that the beach itself was actually two beaches and that the one they were going to, Lower Cheung Sha, was a little further than the car was going to come.

But it sure was worth it,

"Hey, ladies. Are you two alone here? Maybe we could hang out together then."

even though there were some downsides.

The German sat up on her elbows and opened her eyes, looking at a young man and his friends, roughly about the same age as them, lifting her shades to get a better look at them. It was rather obvious that they were tourists and had called out to them because she didn't look very Asian. While the one that had spoken had a rather flirty smile on his face they looked rather friendly all in all, the shy one in the background reminding her of Eliot in a way. But the two friends were here to enjoy each other's company.

"Sorry but I don't think our boyfriends would like it very much if we just hang out with you guys. They're quite the jealous types." she told them, and could see the disappointment in their faces as she lied about them having boyfriends. They looked at each other, frowning, apologized for their mistake and said goodbye. As they shuffled away she called after them in a cheerful tone "Really sorry!" waving while doing so. How many times had she blown off guys today that way?

Sighing she laid back down, crossing her legs over her knee and looked at her friend, who was lying on her stomach with her eyes closed and didn't seem to have paid what had happened any mind.

"I think they are hitting on us constantly because you've dressed so provocatively." Hitomi said, giving her friend a once over. She was wearing her blue jeans patterned two piece bathing suit adorned with white frills and having 'Eagle' written on it in bold letters across the left breast, though the part that got the most attention was the lower one, which was a thong.

"I could say the same to you. That top must be a size or two too small with all the underboob you're showing." The Chinese brandished her finger at her, pointing directly at her chest.

Hitomi wore her bright yellow two-piece with green straps that she had bought on Zack Island once, printed on the left breast part were two small oranges, one cut in half. It was true, the top did show quite the bit of the underside of her breast. On the other hand her butt wasn't as exposed, but the having 'Fruity' written on it earned a few looks as well.

"Ok, I guess we're both at fault here, dressed like this and all."

"Hmm, yeah." Leifang turned around, lying on her back, and stretched out her arms a little, then looked at her when she noticed that she was still looking. "Something the matter?"

Hitomi stiffed for a second, only now noticing that she had been staring at her friend the whole time. "Nope." she answered, got up and did a few warm up exercises, earning herself a puzzled look from her friend.

She stopped rather abruptly, throwing her shades onto the towel, a grin on her face,

"Race ya!" and ran for the water. Leifang stared for a moment, looking like a deer in the headlights, before getting up and sprinting after her friend who had already reached the water by that time, wading into it a little before diving head first.

The German opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the water, held her breath and waited for her friend to get into the water as well and when she finally did, pushed herself forward, circling her arms around Leifang's waist and using her body weight to push her down so that they were both underwater.

Leifang glared playfully at her through the water, wrestling herself free from her grip and pulling her up, immediately starting to splash water at her.

Hitomi laughed and shielded her face from the water, using her other hand to retaliate with her own splashes, but Leifang had the advantage here and soon she gave up, shouting "I give up! Peace, peace!"

"No peace!" The Chinese shouted, stopped with the water attack and, putting both of her hands on top of the brunette head, pushed her under the surface.

Hitomi flailed around trying to escape from her friend, then a smirk crossed her lips and she stopped, instead snaking one of her arms around her friend and pulling on one of the bikini top's straps, untying the bow.

Her friend let go immediately as soon as she noticed her top was getting a mind of its own, and as Hitomi broke the surface, she saw her friend grabbing furiously at her top, making her laugh while she breathed in fresh air.

"Stop laughing," Leifang swiped some water her way with one hand, holding onto her modesty with the other, glaring at her friend. Hitomi noticed that she was biting down on her lip, trying not to burst into laughter herself. "Help me instead."

"Oh I don't know, I think it suits you pretty well." The brunette commented and dodged another swipe, this time more playful. After a few more moments of gloating she decided to help her friend, turned her around and bound the bound the bow again.

"There you go." she said, tapping the back of her hand against her friend's back. Leifang turned around, opening her mouth to say something, only to get pushed back by her friend.

"Hehe." Hitomi stuck out her tongue and backed off, trying to escape when Leifang made a grab at her, putting her arms around her waist.

"No you don't!"

The German stiffed again for a moment when she felt her friend's close proximity, her chest pressing into her back. Then her eyes widened when she was lifted up by her friend, who did a suplex into the water with her.

When they both resurfaced she pushed her friend playfully against the shoulder, sharing another laugh with her.

"Now that wasn't Tai Chi Quan young lady." She berated her in a mock stern voice, putting a hand on her waist and pointing her finger at her accusingly.

"Well what can I say? Tina taught me that one. I think it's pretty useful. Besides," Leifang said grinning and pointed at her friend as well. "that coming from someone that throws Judo into her Karate?"

"Guilty as charged."

Still giggling the two of them made their way back towards the shore. As they walked back to their spot the German spotted an Ice-cream vendor and bumped her hip against Leifang's to get her attention, pointing when she did so. "How about it? Wanna share a cone?"

"Sure, it's been a while since we did that. How about you get the ice-cream and I'll get us something to drink? I'm thirsty."

"Okidoki." Hitomi made her way towards the vendor, really glad that most people in Hong Kong could talk English and ordered a huge cone for the both of them, then walked back where Leifang was already waiting for her with their drinks.

As she took her first sip she noticed how thirsty she actually was. "Strawberry milk?"

"Well anything else would've ruined the taste of the ice-cream," Leifang said, taking a lick from it. "You remembered my favorite. Anyway I figured since we had no strawberries at hand we could use this," she held up her own milk. "As a substitute."

"So eager to have me lick your finger again?" Hitomi asked cheekily and batted her eyelashes at her, then took a lick off the ice cream herself.

"Who knows." Leifang answered overly mysteriously, making them both chuckle.

They looked out towards the sea. They had been here the whole day and the sun was starting to set, casting everything in orange. Hitomi closed her eyes and inhaled the sea breeze, making her realize how exhausted she was. She was sure she would sleep like a rock today.

The two of them finished of their ice cream and drinks in comfortable silence and started to gather up their things, packed them up and went to the showers to wash up and change back into their normal clothes, then made their way back.

They were lucky and managed to catch a bus ride back to the mainland and sat down in the far back seats.

"Damn I'm beat." Hitomi said, leaning her head against the window, trying not to close her eyes or she might fall asleep right here. Leifang leaned against her, placing her head against the Karateka's shoulder lightly. "Leifang?"

"Mhm?"

"Don't fall asleep on me."

"Mhm..."

Hitomi nudged her playfully, and sat down more straighter, forcing Leifang to do the same. "Come on, I don't know where we need to get off the bus and I'm not in the mood to drive anywhere else than back to your place."

"All right, all right." her friend muttered and rubbed her eyes.

They didn't need to drive for very long and got off the bus, having to walk the rest of the way, but at least they didn't have to worry about dozing off that way.

"So," Leifang started casually as they walked. "Anywhere else you wanted to go? Because today I thought of a few places I want to show you"

"Weeeeell, there is one place I want to go to badly." Hitomi said and saw her friend blinking in confusion.

* * *

"Oh you must be kidding me..." She heard Leifang mutter under her breath, holding a camera and aiming it directly at her.

"Stop whining and take the picture." Hitomi said and smiled into the camera, being flanked by Donald Duck and Goofy, or at least by people that acted as them, wearing one of those silly Mickey Mouse ear hats. She had an arm thrown around each of them, posing for the picture.

"Ok ok." the Chinese said and took the picture. The German let go of the two mascots, thanking them and giving each a kiss on the cheek playfully saying "Mwah" as she did so and watched them putting their hands on their faces in embarrassment.

She waved at them once more as they walked along.

"Sometimes I don't know if you're twenty or twelve." Leifang said, shaking her head. Hitomi only grinned at her friend and readjusted her hat.

Hitomi had insisted that they would go to Hong Kong Disneyland the very next day after arriving back home and here they were, just walking along Main Street, U.S.A towards the area called Adventureland.

"I always wanted to go to Disneyland but my father always refused saying that if I wanted to go to a theme park I should do so in Germany. I guess visiting Paris just for a stay in Disneyland wasn't an option for him." she said chuckling at the last part. While Joachim Buchfink was someone that you could joke around and have fun with, he could be as strict as any father and if he put his foot down and said no it meant no. And when a ten years old Hitomi asked him if they could go to Disneyland he did just that.

But she was victorious now, looking around as they passed through Adventureland, checking the map. _Now the Festival of the Lion King doesn't start until later, so what could we do until then?_ she wondered, then she saw what area was directly adjoined to this one, a grin on her lips.

"Come on!" she said and grabbed her friend's hand, dragging her along as she quickly walked towards their next destination.

"Wow!" Leifang exclaimed and tried keeping up, the clacking of her heels quickening as she did. "What's the hurry?"

"There's a ride I want to take!"

"Oh and that would be?" Leifang asked but before Hitomi could answer she already saw it from afar. "Oh no, no, no! No way are you going to take me into that one!"

Seemed like the Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway didn't strike her fancy as much as it did Hitomi's. "Ah, don't be a chicken!"

* * *

_**You can me tell whatever you want, but I can totally see Hitomi being a Disney fan.  
Also Papa Buchfink can now be named. Totally made that one up though, seeing how TeamNinja likes to take it easy there. He'll probably always be "Hitomi's father" in canon. Oh well.**_

_**That's it for this week. Just thought I'd tell you that this piece is getting bigger and bigger in my mind.**_  
_**See you next week.**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

"You know that I seriously hate you right now?" Leifang asked her.

They were sitting down on a bench a little bit outside of Grizzly Gulch, having just completed their third run on the Mountain Runaway and the German's mood was on a total high whereas her friend looked like she lost a few years of her lifespan up there, so pale was her face.

It had taken a lot of convincing but in the end the Chinese had caved in and accompanied her friend on the ride. Big mistake, at least for her. The first time had been fine, but after the second time, Hitomi noted, that her face was starting to turn white and after the third she had all but threatened her to stop or she would beat her up right there, and it wouldn't even be the first time she did that.

Hitomi shrugged and took a bite of the snack that she had bought on the way to the bench, smiled and offered her friend to try it too.

"Ugh, no thanks." Leifang said and tried not to look while she was eating, the white turning slightly green, and holding a hand to her lips. "I think I won't be eating anything today."

"Fought some of the toughest martial artists of the world but can't stomach a ride like that, what are the odds?." she muttered and dug in, amused at her friend, pulled the map out opening it dexterously with one hand and checked her watch.

"Well excuse me if I don't make it a habit of going into amusement parks!" Leifang complained, glaring at her but lacking any real fire behind it.

"Don't be such a baby," she said and swallowed the last of her snack, putting the paper plate and plastic cutlery into the trash bin and folded the map back together, glaring back. "Besides if you can complain then you must be feeling better."

They glared at each other for a moment, then stuck out their tongues, blowing raspberries at each other and broke out into laughter, the Chinese starting to look a bit better now. "Just promise me to never take me on one of these rides again."

"I promise," she put her hand over her breast where her heart was and added, grinning cheekily. "Cross my heart and hope to die and all that. We can pinky swear too if you want." She held out her pinky to emphasize what she said, wiggling it playfully.

Leifang huffed and slapped the hand aside, but couldn't help herself and smiled. "All right I believe you. So you've been checking your watch, what does that mean?"

"Well I want to see the Festival of the Lion King." She told her simply.

"The what now?" Leifang asked, raising a puzzled brow.

"You know, the Lion King, the story about Simba, that cute little lion." She said then did her best at mimicking the voice. "'I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock!'. 'Hakuna Matata!'."

The Chinese could only shake her head, looking at the Karateka blankly. "Sorry."

"Are you seriously telling me you don't know 'The Lion King'?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Sheesh, what did you do in your childhood?" She asked incredulously, not believing that her friend didn't know about one of the most basic child movies ever.

"Playing with my friends in school, reading Chinese literature, taking piano lessons and practicing martial arts, add to that the fact that my parents didn't go out of their way to make me watch Disney movies. And when I had time on my hands to actually go watch one I was too old for something like that."

"Well I learned Karate from a very young age too and-" she halted and looked at her friend, narrowing her eyes. "Hey, what do you mean 'something like that'?"

"Those kind of movies are for children, are they not?" Leifang shrugged. Hitomi jumped to her feet immediately, narrowing her eyes even more, and grabbed her friend's hand, all but dragging her along with her as she headed to the big building looking like a straw hut, ignoring the stare that they got from the other visitors.

"No they are not, those are movies for the whole family and everyone can watch them." The German explained adamantly, as they stopped directly in front of the building, where a few other people were waiting for the next show. "And the next time you're gonna visit me we'll be watching a few of these 'Children's movies'" She lifted her hands and formed quotation marks with pointer and middle-finger on both hands.

"That's sounds like a threat." Leifang giggled and gave her friend a charming smile, making Hitomi flush a little at how she acted. "So does that mean I'm allowed to visit you again?"

Hitomi chuckled and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess I just gave you permission."

"Great!"

"Just make sure to tell me beforehand this time."

"Oh, believe me, I will. Or else my feet will kill me again."

"Hmm, I could always give you another foot massage." Hitomi joked.

"Watch out what you say, I might just pick you up on that offer." Leifang winked at her and nodded to the door that was just opened for the visitors to enter. "Now let's go and see what that fuss about King Lions is all about."

"It's 'Lion King'!"

After a few more moments the two spent the next twenty five minutes watching a simplified version of the Lion King in form of song, dance, puppetry and visual effects. The visitors were seated in four rows, each named after an animal: Warthog, Giraffe, Elephant and Lion.

Hitomi and Leifang were sitting in the Elephant row and the German was surprised that the show was actually in English, though two of the actors that were dressed like monkeys summarized what was being said and there were subtitles being projected onto the screens above each seating section so that no one would be left out of the experience.

Through the whole show the German was walking down her own personal memory lane, remembering perfectly how her parents had taken her to the nearest cinema for the very first time to watch exactly this movie. And while she simply loved the movie it was this memory that made it her favorite.

She didn't notice the small smile on her friend's lips when she found herself singing along to Hakuna Matata.

"So what did you think?" she asked Leifang as they left the building and walked at a casual pace through Adventure Land.

"I'd be lying if I said I got it," Leifang said, then gave her friend a teasing look. "But at least I understand what was up with that 'Grrr!' back in the Circus. Someone's very fond of lions."

Hitomi had to think a little, but yeah she did tease Eliot that way after they had checked out the Circus, too bad there were only Tigers. "You'll get it once we see the movie at my place."

"I look forward to it." Leifang said genuinely, folding her arms under her chest and cocking her head to the side. "So where to next?"

Hitomi pulled out the map of the park and looked it over for a moment before tipping onto a location while saying. "Toy Story Land sounds good right now."

"The what land?"

Hitomi simply rolled her eyes.

* * *

A few days had passed since their trip to Disneyland. The Chinese had to all but drag Hitomi out of there later that day, as it was starting to get late and after some initial pouting the Karateka had agreed and they left.

To make things up to her friend Leifang had decided to show her some of the major tourist attractions of Hong Kong. With that she led Hitomi through Wan Chai straight to the Bowen Street, which they followed for a few minutes, being passed by joggers and people taking their dogs on a walk until Leifang pulled her off road and onto a track that led them up a hill.

Walking on the track for a few more minutes the two of them stopped when they saw a granite monolith, about 9 meter high and aligned in a 60 degree angle. Hitomi looked around, a few were standing around it, some standing closer to it, burning joss sticks or lighting candles as well as offering a bit of money to the small open air temple nearby before praying to it.

"This is what we call the Yan Yuen Sek," Leifang explained to her, tapping a finger against her chin, trying to remember something. "Now what was it called again in English... Ah doesn't matter. Over there we have a great view of the Victoria Harbour and-"

Hitomi had already drowned out what her friend was telling her and walked towards the small temple.

_This must be like one of those temples Mama had told me about_ she thought to herself, remembering how her mother had told her that they would visit a temple one day together and she felt a small tug at her heart as she stopped in front of it, halting for a moment before pulling out some money and offering it to the temple. She then climbed the stairs to the stone to pray alongside the other people there, who interestingly consisted only of women.

A lady in her 40s stood beside her, muttering a prayer in Mandarin. Hitomi put her hands together and closed her eyes, opting to pray in silence. She did so for a few minutes until a giggle from behind her made her open her eyes and look over her shoulder.

Her friend was standing there, a hand raised to her face and a grin on her lips, shoulders shaking in laughter that she seemed to hold back.

"What?" Hitomi asked and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Do you know what you are praying for?" The question made Hitomi blink in confusion, drop out of her praying posture and turn around to look directly at her friend.

"Health and good luck, right?"

This made her friend burst into laughter, earning some looks from a few people that weren't busy praying.

_What's so funny? _She thought and asked the same once her friend had calmed enough to answer.

"I remember what people call this place in English," Leifang told her, shoulder still shaking. "It's called Lover's Rock. People, especially women, come to pray here for a happy marriage and fertility."

"Oh." was all Hitomi could say as she looked over to the rock, and now that she thought about it the shape did look like a- She flushed immediately as soon as the thought crossed her mind.

Leifang burst into laughter again, but unlike the other times she had heard the Chinese laughing it sounded, in that very moment, beautiful and made the Karateka feel less embarrassed than she would normally have been, making her join in with a small laughter of her own.

After her friend had finally calmed down they took the bus to St. John's Cathedral from where they took the famous Peak Tram that brought them up to the Victoria Peak, or simply called The Peak by the residents.

As they made their way to one of the highest lookouts Leifang explained to her that this area of The Peak was very popular with wealthy folks and that a lot of them had houses here and when Hitomi asked why her parents didn't she replied that with all the tourism in the area they decided to have their estate a bit more out of the public eye.

"Besides, Father always says that people who live here are a bunch of posers that need to show off their wealth where everyone can see it." Leifang told her as they approached one of the many public parks that inhabited the areas around the actual summit, which was closed to the public.

They stopped and looked down the mountain, directly at the Kowloon area, but the German found herself looking at the Chinese, watching as her braids moved with the wind, then looked directly at her face, taking in her features, the shape of her lips, the soft curl of her brows. Again the German found herself rather envious of her friend's beauty.

The Chinese turned her gaze towards her, noticing that she was staring and smiled at her, which the Karateka returned with one of her own before looking at the scenery, unconsciously moving closer to her friend who, if she noticed, didn't say anything and with every breath she could smell her friend's perfume.

Despite it being rather cool up here because of the wind she could feel herself growing quite warm.

* * *

_**Hakuna Matata, pfft. More like Can you Feel the Love Tonight if I have any say in this!**_

_**And isn't Hitomi just cute? Wonder if that rock will help in that healthy relationship department. **_

_**See you next week.  
**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

* * *

Hitomi was laying on her back, her eyes closed and the only thing she could hear was her own breathing, as well as her friend's. The flowery scent of the lavender oil was filling the air, making her mind and body relax as she inhaled it with every breath she took.

After having dragged her friend to a place that she desperately wanted to visit last week it seemed only fair to Hitomi that they would go somewhere her friend would like to go, and after telling Leifang as much the Chinese already had a place in mind.

The next day after discussing it they headed to the train station and drove out of the city to a small town, which seemed to be some kind of spa town, and one of the first things she wanted them to do was enjoying a nice, relaxing session of aromatherapy.

After the pair had checked in they were led to an area where they could change out of their clothes and then brought into a small room, big enough for four people, where they received a massage.

She had hoped for a nice, good looking guy to take care of that, but sadly she had gotten a middle aged, slightly obese man named Bao Jing while Leifang received her massage from a petite young woman.

But that man had hands!

_Never judge a book by its cover_ she had chided herself silently as he massaged her with the relaxing oil.

After they had gotten their treatment the young woman put diluted lavender oil into a small pot, and they were left alone for an hour to relax.

Hitomi had to admit that it sure did what it promised, at least for a time, but now that she was lying here for – she opened her eyes to take a look at her watch – thrity four minutes it was getting a bit boring.

Turning her head to the right she spied her friend laying in exactly the same position as her, wearing the same citrus colored bathrobe that she did, looking like she had no care in the world at all.

This was part of her world.

Well no reason not to make conversation.

"Hey." she called her friend, waiting for a response but she was simply lying there, inhaling and exhaling in a steady rhythm.

_Did she fall asleep?_ She wondered and called out again. "Hey."

"Yes?" Leifang answered, her eyes staying shut.

"So, uh, are you coming here often?"

"I actually found out about this place not too long ago. It's quite charming, isn't it?"

_Well yeah, if not a bit boring_ she said in her mind. "Yeah, sure is!"

Neither of them said anything further and Hitomi looked to her feet, wiggling her toes as she inspected her freshly pedicured nails she had received just yesterday. She wasn't a big fan of such stuff but now and again she supposed it was kinda nice to relish in the same luxury her friend did regularly.

_If only I had something to do._

She cast her gaze across the room, which was lit in only dim light as to help with the effect of the therapy, but it was enough for her to make out some its interior, but nothing interesting enough to keep herself occupied with until their session would be over in about 20 minutes.

Sighing she looked towards Leifang again. "You know," the Chinese let out a sigh at that, which Hitomi decided to simply ignore. "Maybe we could play a bit of I spy?"

"Or we could just lie here in silence."

"Oh come on," Hitomi made a face. "That's no fun and we have nothing to do anyway."

Leifang opened one of her eyes and shifted her head a little to look directly at her. "The point is that we're supposed to lay down and let the aroma have its effect on us. If we get distracted it might dampen the result."

"Where the hell did you get that from?"

Leifang hesitated for a moment. "I read it in an article once."

Hitomi could only snort at that.

"Hey it was from a legit magazine. And they encourage to do so here as well."

"Well while it might have a certain degree of impact on the effect," Hitomi explained, raising her finger and adopting her lecture voice. "The effect is still there. Especially since we received a massage with it as well. After all the important part is that it enters our body, or am I wrong?"

"No I don't think so-"

"Then I must be right." Hitomi finished, grinning cheekily at her friend, who had opened her other eye and was looking at her directly now upon hearing her use her catchphrase.

"Oh ha ha, someone things she's funny. Are you trying to make me laugh?"

"Maybe," Hitomi said looking up at the ceiling. "You have a nice laugh."

That garnered a small laugh from her friend and she smiled up at the ceiling, glad that her friend wasn't really mad.

"You know that you act like a total jackass sometimes?" Leifang commented.

"Speaking of that, now why did you want that cabbage again?"

"I-What exactly does that have to do with anything?" The Chinese exclaimed. "I don't see how that has any relevance right now!"

Hitomi chuckled to herself. "Careful or that massage will have been for naught."

"And whose fault would that be?"

"I think I can see some gray hair over there."

Whatever Leifang wanted to say was caught in her throat as she simply gaped at her friend, eyes wide open, causing the German to burst into laughter holding on to her stomach.

"That's not funny!" Leifang said, finding her voice again. "You don't joke about that!"

A hand flew up towards her hair, where it grasped one of her braids and moved it so that she could look at it, inspecting it cautionary and, when finding no trace of gray, flung her towel at Hitomi.

Still laughing the Karateka had no chance to dodge and was hit directly in the face, the towel covering her whole face and muffling her laughter until she calmed down.

Pulling it off her face Hitomi simply grinned towards her friend, who tried, with all her might, to stay serious, failing miserably as her lips curled into a grin of her own.

"Gosh, sometimes I wonder why I even bother with you." Leifang said, shaking her head.

"Because I'm such a cutie and I can kick your ass to kingdom come."Hitomi earned herself a playful snort from the Chinese.

"Yeah right, we're gonna have to put that under trial."

"Sure, come on right here." Hitomi said and got up, lifting her hand, which she had already balled into fist in excitement.

"Here? Are you crazy?"

"What?" Hitomi asked, blinking. "Wouldn't be the strangest place we've fought.

She watched her friend sigh as she shook her head and lie back down.

Pouting in disappointment she sat back down, closing her eyes and sighing, going back to what she did before they had chatted. With a start her eyes flew open, as she cursed inwardly.

Leifang had dodged the cabbage question again!

* * *

"Ok, now listen up, soldier!"

"Soldier?" Leifang tilted her head to the side, watching her friend. The Karateka had dragged her into the kitchen when she stated that she was slightly hungry and debating if she should call Zhen to make something.

"Yes, I'm gonna teach to how to cook something today." Hitomi said.

Leifang furrowed her brows at that. "And why would you feel the need for that?"

"Because you could need it one day." The Chinese rolled her eyes at that, but decided to indulge her friend. It could be rather fun after all, and she was a bit hungry after all.

"And what would we do, oh great Iron Chef?"

"Uh,"Hitomi tapped her pointer finger against her lower lip in though, before walking towards the cabinets, taking a few good looks into them for a few moments before grabbing something and pulling it out. "Aha!"

Before Leifang could ask what her friend had found it was already put into her hands. "Flour?"

"Mhm." The German hummed in confirmation, pulling out a bottle of oil out of the same cabinet and grabbing the flour from her, carrying it all over to the kitchen counter.

"And what are we going to make?" she asked, watching as her friend took a bowl and filled it with water. When it was filled up enough Hitomi took it and placed it into the freezer, then opened the upper refrigerator and took a good look.

"Tempura." She answered simply and took out a large eggplant. "Watch, learn and just follow my instructions. It's really simple."

She threw the vegetable towards her and the Chinese stumbled a step forward as she caught it. Turning it in her hand twice to look at it closer, she placed it onto the counter near the sink, then looked at her friend who pulled out another one as well as eggs, before closing the fridge and walking over, placing the eggplant and eggs next to one another.

"Ok," Hitomi said, nodding to herself. "The water in the freezer needs to stay in there for a few minutes."

"Why?" Leifang asked, pointing to where the cutting boards were stored when she saw what the Karateka was looking for.

"The water needs to be really cold for the batter, but how about we cut the eggplant before that?"

"Sure!" The two of them washed the vegetables, then cut them into even pieces, Hitomi showing her how she had to cut them exactly so that they would be small enough to be eaten in one bite, which was important if you wanted to eat them with chopsticks.

Since Leifang was cutting the smaller one she was finished first and was told to get the water out of the freezer. She got it out of the freezer and, as she walked back to the counter, some of the water sloshed over the edge onto her hand. It was predictably cold.

A small smile formed onto her lips, suddenly getting an idea. Hitomi hummed to herself, having just finished cutting her pieces and gathering them all up, placing them into a smaller bowl. Leifang made her way over her silently and put her fingers into the water, biting her lip at the cold, then held them over the back of her friend's neck, just above the gap between skin and clothing.

As soon as a drop connected with her skin Hitomi led out a hiss and became stiff while it made its way down her back, reflexively pulling an arm back to grab where it ran down.

Leifang backed away, putting the bowl onto the counter and raised her hand to her lips, hiding the grin that had formed on them as well as stifling her laughter.

"Shit!" Hitomi swore then looked to her, giving the Chinese a glare before smirking herself and punching her into the shoulder, though not so hard as to seriously hurt her, but it would leave a mark in the morning.

"Ow!"

"Stupid cow!" Hitomi said and stuck out her tongue, which Leifang replied in kind.

With that out of the way they continued to make the batter, with Hitomi doing the main part of stirring it together while Leifang added the water.

"Ok great, now put the frying pan onto the stove and put some of the oil into it, not much but enough that it's evenly spread, then set it to high temperature, we'll need it soon." Leifang did it while Hitomi was explaining, paying close attention to what her friend was saying so not to make any mistakes.

When she returned to her friend's side and saw that the batter was now a homogeneous paste, Hitomi pulled the spoon out and placed it into the sink, cracking her knuckles and turning to her friend.

"Now, normally we'd use special flour made out of rice for this," she pointed to the batter. "But you can do it with normal flour as well. So the next thing I want you to do is rolling the pieces of eggplant into the batter, like this," She demonstrated to her how it was done then let Leifang try it once. She nodded and gave her an encouraging smile when she got it right. "Good, I'm keeping watch on the oil, just place them onto the cutting board and I'll take care of the rest."

Leifang repeated the process over until she was finished. By that time Hitomi was already busy frying them, pulling them out with a pair of chopsticks and putting them onto a plate when they were crunchy looking enough.

The Chinese watched intently her friend as she carefully put in the next batch, placing them so that they wouldn't touch each other in the pan.

They moved into the living room after they were done, sitting down to enjoy the city view while eating. Leifang picked one up with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the taste and crispy texture while chewing.

"Mmh, delicious, like always." she complimented Hitomi, who winked at her and ate one herself.

"You're welcome." Hitomi said and they shared a smile.

* * *

_**Special Double Feature today. More on that in the next chapter.**_


	18. Chapter 17B

**Chapter 17.5**

* * *

Hitomi ran a hand through her hair, whistling a random melody while folding up the blouse and putting it back into her case, followed by the already folded pair of pants, then looked out of the window of her room.

"Time sure passed by." she said to no one in particular as she tucked a strand of her still damp hair behind her ear. The last few weeks were like a blur to her, the two of them always finding something to do, going out at night and spending their time together.

But today she would head home.

It was easy to forget but she had to get back helping her father and then there were the tryouts for the university football team she wanted to join when fall semester would start in two months.

She put the rest of her clothes and other items into the case and closed it, patting the top of it and turned around to see her friend standing there.

"Everything ready?" Leifang asked her, arms crossed under her chest, wearing a simple dark-blue summer dress and a single silver bangle on her right wrist. Just how many outfits did she have?

Hitomi wasn't so sure if she actually wanted an answer. "Yeah."

"The cab's going to be here in 10 minutes."

"Thanks. You really don't need to accompany me though." Hitomi said.

"Of course I have to," Leifang shook her head. "I'd be a terrible host if I didn't properly say goodbye to a friend now, wouldn't I?"

Hitomi grabbed her case and they went down the stairs into the living room.

"So what's the next big plan on your agenda?"

"Well I told you that I wanted to tryout for that football team, so I have about a week to get back into my old sleeping habits." She told her friend.

"Heh, you and football...uh that's the soccer kind, right?" Leifang waited for her to nod before continuing. "Never would've thought that you would play that."

Hitomi simply shrugged and grinned a little. "Well I wanted to participate in some kind of sport and since I'm pretty good at kicking things I figured that would suit me pretty good. I...uh I already have a self-made jersey as well." she admitted a bit embarrassed.

Her friend giggled at that, again shaking her head. "You have to show it to me, maybe in a few weeks? I'm free anyway."

"So soon? Why, can't live without me all of a sudden?" she asked cheekily.

"Yes, whatever would I do without you?" Leifang stated with an overly dramatic voice, moving her hand in an arc and resting its back on her forehead, causing them both to burst out into laughter. "Honestly though I'm feeling rather restless these days and I liked Freiburg quite a lot."

"My sofa is always welcome to you." Hitomi offered her.

"I think this time I'm going to take a hotel nearby, I DID do some research. But thanks for the offer."

They sat there in comfortable silence, looking out of the window like they did so often these past few weeks and Hitomi sat closer to her friend, resting her shoulder against her friend's, skin touching skin, just enjoying each other's company.

The quiet was interrupted by the ringing of the door, and the both of them got up, the Karateka grabbing her case. "Well, let's go then."

They made their way down and got into the car, driving all the way back to Lantau Island in silence, aside from the chatty cab driver to whom they would reply a few times, but neither saying something to the other.

It was strange, even though the airport was as busy as ever, to Hitomi it felt as if they were they only ones there, walking side by side, passing the checks, but still not saying anything.

Then they stopped near the gangway, which was just being opened to lead the passengers in, and Hitomi turned towards her friend, looking at her. Just now she didn't know what she should say. It should be simple, just saying "Bye, I see you later." and giving her a hug.

But the words didn't come. So she looked at her, blue eyes meeting dark brown.

Leifang's eyes lit up and Hitomi's eyes dropped to her friend's lips, which curled into a smile and the German felt her own lips curl into one of her own.

"Well then, have a safe trip and write me when you get back."

"Yeah..." she said. "I will."

She placed her case on the floor and engulfed her friend in a hug, placing her head on her shoulder, and felt Leifang return it. After a few moments they let go from each other, their eyes meeting again and Hitomi felt that there was something she should do.

"No kiss on the cheek this time though, we don't do stuff like that here." Leifang said, laughing lightly and Hitomi couldn't help but grin.

"Guess you lucked out this time. But just wait until you get back to Germany, it's going to be hugs and kisses, hugs and kisses everywhere." Hitomi joked, enjoying her friend's laughter. She picked up her case.

"Well. Goodbye." she said

"Bye."

The Karateka walked towards the gangway, handing the lady in front of it her ticket and, when everything was in order, continued, but halted in her steps when she had the vaguest feeling of déjà vu. She smiled and turned around to wave her friend goodbye before finally stepping in.

She looked out of the window as the plane took off, trying to catch a glimpse of her friend and was not disappointed as she saw the Chinese standing outside watching the plane.

It wasn't until later, when she would turn in for the night, that it hit her like she was running against a brick wall, the thing she felt she should have done. She had desperately wanted to kiss her friend...

...To kiss her beautiful lips.

* * *

_**Insert lame joke about kissing here. At least things are getting interesting now. Now I can get started on the romance, and I already have a good direction on how to take this.  
**_

_**Now why this 17B when I wrote the actual chapter 17 this scene was actually included as I wanted to not take too long for the whole vacation, but I found that this scene here would've been better on it's own, but wasn't long enough to merit waiting another week, hence why I made it chapter 17B.**_

_**Mood music for this little scene here was Saya's Destiny by Marc Mancina. Check it out if you like.**_

_**Well, until next week. :)**_


	19. Chapter 18

_**Ok guys, this one's **__**rated M.**_

_**Don't say I didn't warn ya.  
**_

**Chapter 18**

* * *

The sky was clear and the sun shone bright. Hitomi lifted her hand to shield her eyes from it, squinting them as well as she kept looking for what she was searching for. Her breath went calm and even.

Then she spotted something in the air out of the corner of her right eye and, with a short look to confirm it, dashed forward. She took another look, calculating its trajectory roughly and adjusted her running speed.

_A little closer... a little closer..._ she repeated in her mind like a silent mantra as she ran until she was in the exact position she wanted, hoping that she wouldn't screw up. She couldn't afford to.

_NOW!_ Her mind shouted, making her turn around sharply, jumping while doing so and she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding as the ball connected with her chest before tumbling to the floor before her. "Gotcha!"

Without missing a beat she turned and kicked the ball, advancing towards the opponents' goal. She dexterously dodged an attempt to have the ball stolen from her by one of the other team's players, outmaneuvering her by kicking the ball through in between her legs then dodged past her with a little trick she learned from Karate. She continued onward.

As she approached the goal the keeper focused directly on her and their eyes met, Hitomi narrowing hers as she closed in for the kill. Just as she was about to kick it directly towards the goal the Karateka smirked and kicked it to the side, passing it to her teammate who had gone unnoticed by the keeper.

The girl, surprised as she was, tried to prevent the goal, but it was futile and not a second after her teammate had gotten the ball she kicked it straight into the goal, scoring them a point and, by the sound of the whistle, a victory.

Her lips split into a grin, raising her arms into the air and letting out a "Woohoo!" as she jogged over to her teammate and high fived her with both hands.

The keeper made her way over to them and clasped each of them on the shoulder. "Good work."

The match had been a simple training one between the regular and the reserve players of the team to make sure everyone would get more practical training. Hitomi, who had only joined the team a few days ago, was part of the latter group for now, but maybe this would make the trainer put her on the field in one of the real matches.

"All right, great work everyone!" the trainer, a woman in her forties with a small streak of gray in her otherwise brown hair, shouted across the field as the team walked towards her, everyone chatting amongst each other. The woman checked her wristwatch then nodded at them. "That's it for today ladies, time to finish up. Hitomi you're up with Mareike. Everyone else we'll see each other on Tuesday."

A petite looking blonde walked over to Hitomi and gave her a small smile. They walked over the field, gathering up all the balls they had used during the training, putting them into a ball trolley.

"So is it true what they say about you?" Mareike asked as she leaned against the trolley while Hitomi put the last ball into it.

"What do they say about me?" Hitomi asked, suddenly thinking back on what she had realized on her flight back to Germany about a week ago, and her heart sped up at the thought even though it was totally unfounded since no one could know about it.

"That you're a Karate black belt and that you participated in a tournament that was broadcasted around the globe."

"Oh. Yeah that's true." Hitomi replied casually, giving the trolley a little push, causing Mareike to stand back and walking by her side as they made their way to the storage room.

"That's awesome!" she exclaimed. "So can you like, break bricks with your head and stuff? How many guys did you beat up already?"

Hitomi opened her mouth to reply but she didn't get a chance as the blonde continued. "Can you teach me some moves? You know, wax on wax off. You'd be Mr. Miyagi and I'd be Daniel-san!"

"Sorry." Hitomi said, trying to let her down easy. "I'm not really good at the teaching thing yet, but if you want to learn something I can give you the address of my father's dojo."

She watched as the blonde's eyes practically bulged out of her head. "Your father has his own dojo?"

"Yeah." Hitomi chuckled. "Yeah he has. I'm part-timing there, so if you want me to hook you up just say so."

"Heck yeah!"

After putting everything into the storage and returning the keys to the trainer the two made their way to the changing room where only a few were remaining, most of the others having already showered, changed and left.

"So did you meet some cool martial artists at that tournament?" Mareike asked excitingly, pulling off her sweaty clothes and simply putting them in her sport bag, her bag turned to Hitomi who unconsciously looked her over before shaking her head and undressing herself.

"Y-yeah."he replied a bit shaken by what she just did. "Though not all of them did actually participate. Believe it or not there was this one worker that helped set the whole Arena up that was a real pro at Tae Kwon Do. Even managed to win against one of the contestants."

Rig sure had done a number on Jann Lee, physically as well as on his pride, which was probably the reason why he wasn't there when he was declared champion, leaving the 1st place price money in the hands of DOATEC.

"Cool!"

The two stepped into the shower room, where a few other girls were still washing themselves, chatting all the while. Hitomi kept her gaze down, walking to a free one and turning the faucet on. She let out a content sigh as the hot water hit her skin.

Washing herself she tried not to look at the others vehemently, but after a few moments she bit her lower lip and dared to look at them, watching the water moistening their skin as they ran their hands over every curve of their body.

The Karateka swallowed and felt a tingling sensation inside her lower body.

_What the hell are you doing?!_ She screamed inside her mind turning her gaze away and returned to washing herself. She didn't need long to finish, doing it in what had to be record time, and dried herself quickly, saying a quick goodbye to Mareike before changing back into her street clothes and leaving, heading to where she had left her bike, then rode back home.

* * *

Back in her apartment building she ran into Viktor, who seemed to have just returned himself, checking the mail box.

"Well if it isn't my favorite girl in the whole world." he greeted her closing his mail box and smiled at her. "How's our female Beckenbauer-to-be?"

"Hi, I'm good."

"Any news from Leifang?" he asked her curiously. After having told him a bit about her vacation he was all ears when it came to something involving her friend, saying something about Leifang maybe knowing a nice Chinese girl who'd like to date a German student of Arts.

"She'll be coming over in a week or so. She's gonna tell me tomorrow when exactly." she told him and faked a yawn. She wasn't particularly keen on talking about her friend right now, being as confused as she was right now. "Sorry, but I just wanna head up and lie down a little bit."

"Ah don't worry. I actually want to get a little shut eye myself. But jeez, I'd like to have the time and dosh to jet-set around the globe at my leisure too. Oh well, see ya." he waved her off.

Hitomi walked up the stairs and entered her apartment, pulled off her shoes and threw her sports bag into the bathroom, making a mental note about doing the laundry later, then entered her bedroom.

Maybe she should try to get a nap for real.

The German stripped down to her undies and entered her bed, closing her eyes as her head hit the pillow and keeping them shut for thirty minutes straight, trying to get some sleep.

She didn't succeed and the tingling inside her didn't help.

She turned a little, laying onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ She wondered, her thoughts wandering back to the plane after realizing that she had wanted nothing more than to capture her friend's lips with her own.

It wasn't right. She shouldn't think about her friend that way, or any girl period. Hitomi wasn't one to discriminate people that were attracted to their own sex, her father had taught her that early on in her life, but to think that she herself might be one of them... Ever since that revelation she had found herself looking at girls more often, checking them out.

Was she a lesbian?

No that couldn't be it, she was still attracted to men or else she wouldn't have flirted with Eliot back at the circus and if he wasn't crushing so hopelessly on Christie she wouldn't have minded for him to swoop her of her feet.

Thinking about that it would probably have been her doing the swooping.

She shook her head. _Maybe it's just because I haven't been in a relationship for a while._

That could be it. Her last real relationship had been back in High school, that was before she found Hayate in the Black Forest, and that one ended amicably. And since her crush on Hayate had been futile she had been alone for quite a while now.

And since Leifang and her were so close it could be her body telling her that it was starved for affection of a different kind.

Swallowing hard Hitomi grabbed her sheets, pushing them to the side, already cursing herself for what she was about to do, for not being able to control her urges. She suddenly felt like a horny teenager again...

Slowly Hitomi ran one of her hands across her stomach, caressing it, breathing evenly. Thoughts of the shower entered her mind even though she wanted to banish them. How the water clung to the bodies of the girls, flowing down from their shoulders, across their chest and stomach until it ran down their legs.

The tingling in her lower body became more intense and she felt her body growing warmer as she guided her hand up, slipping it under her bra and touching one of her breasts, carefully brushing a nail against her nipple.

She took a deep breath as the sensation spread through her body and her nipple stiffened from the simple touch alone. In her mind she singled out a girl amongst the group, watching her caress her body, touching her breasts and dipping her hand in between her legs.

The Karateka pinched her nipple, groaning and biting her lip as she guided her other hand downward, then twisted her nipple slowly.

In her mind she looked the girl up and down, taking in every little detail, the shapely form of her legs, hips and breasts, and a small voice in the back of her mind was already comparing it with a certain someone.

She pulled her left hand from under her bra, only to push the piece of cloth up to expose her ample bosom, the cool air in the room mixing with the heat from her body and she guided her right hand to her panties, pushing it inside. Passing soft curls it found what it was looking for.

A moan escaped her as she started caressing her most hidden area, thrusting slowly with her hips to make the sensation even more pleasurable and grabbed one of her breasts with her left hand, massaging it.

She stood close to the other girl now, touching her, running her hands all over her body, caressing her breasts, brushing her fingers across already hard nipples, slipping a hand down to the other's sex.

Hitomi ground her teeth together, her thrusting intensifying with every second and her left hand alternating between her breasts, giving each its due attention, imagining that it was the other girl that was touching her; caressing her. Loving her.

And then the girl turned around, revealing Leifang, circling her arms around her neck, pressing their bodies together and crushing her lips to the Karateka's.

Hitomi tensed, feeling like all the blood in her body was flowing between her legs, just before the orgasm hit her full force, filling her whole body with euphoria, causing her to moan out as she arched her back curling her toes into the sheets.

After a few more seconds it was over, leaving her laying on her bed drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. She pulled her hand from between her legs and looked at it, her eyes moist from the sensation.

"Oh god." she breathed out, shutting her eyes.

There was no denying it; she was attracted to her best friend.

The only question was: what would she do about it?

* * *

_**Time to up the amount of fanservice in this one, and how to better to it than to make a slightly raunchy chapter.  
Well hopefully you'll like what I've got in store for the future.**_

_**Until next week then.**_


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

* * *

_Hmm ok, so if I do this like this...Perfect!_ Hitomi made a little dance in her mind, writing down on her notepad. She was currently buried deep inside her books, doing a little bit of studying to be prepared for the next semester even though the lectures wouldn't start for a good while.

She put her pen aside, gave her solution a quick once over and, when she was satisfied closed it, putting it aside, then closed the book which she had used as well.

Taking off her reading glasses she made her way into the kitchen, opting for a quick snack and something to drink. She decided on a simple sandwich and orange juice. Her gaze wandered over to the clock while she ate and her eyes widened as she saw the time. _That late already?_

Leifang's plane was set to be arriving at the airport soon. A few days after what Hitomi now labeled as the _Bedroom Incident_ she had gotten an e-mail from the Chinese, telling her when she would arrive and also asking her if she would be so kind to help her get her things to the hotel she would be staying in.

Hitomi had protested, telling her over and over that it was ok to just stay at her place, but her friend wouldn't have any of it, saying it wouldn't be good if she relied on her for every little thing. In the end Hitomi just conceded, letting Leifang have her way.

It was probably for the better, what with her new found attraction towards her friend, which Hitomi decided would be best to simply ignore until it would fade away by itself.

Worked for Hayate, would work for Leifang as well. It was hard enough to deal with the fact that she was into girls as well as boys, something that made showering with her team members really uncomfortable now, as she found herself checking them out each and every time. And it really wasn't just a passing fancy, deep inside she found herself enjoying the view. That she started to get used to the fact so quickly didn't help matters either.

With a sigh she put away her food and covered her face with the palm of her hands, rubbing it a little as if massaging her face like that could give her the answer to all of her problems.

She groaned into her hands upon realizing that she would have to tell her father. It wouldn't be much of a deal, but talking to one's parent about anything sex related was just embarrassing no matter what the topic. But she had to tell him eventually. You didn't keep secrets like that to family, at least in her opinion.

Hitomi lifted her hands from her face and took a deep breath. "SHIT!"she shouted at the top of her lungs, venting her feelings a little bit and already feeling better. She then returned to her snack.

After finishing up she cleaned up her kitchen and went into her bedroom to change clothes, stopping before the mirror as she was about to head outside, realigning her hairband, which had become a bit loose while she changed, and inspected her face to see if there was anything she needed to fix.

She halted when she realized what she did and gave herself a mental kick in the ass. _What are you doing!? You're just picking up your friend and not going on a date with her!_

The Karateka shook her head, grabbed her keys, put on her boots and walked to the next bus station that would take her to the airport.

During the ride she kept her thoughts occupied with the various topics that she still would have to study later, math being an especially big pain in the ass. She wasn't bad at it, but she always had difficulty learning the topic.

_I think I'll just take something easy later, no need to make by head catch fire_ she thought, watching the passersby on the streets as the bus continued to drive towards its destination.

At the airport Hitomi was rather glad that is wasn't as big as some other ones in the country, thus she didn't need to wade through a sea of people like she would otherwise.

She checked her watch again. Twenty minutes left.

The brunette shrugged and sat down in a vacant seat crossing her legs and decided to simply wait here until Leifang would come.

She hummed to herself, pulling out a pack of bubblegum out of her pocket and pulled out a stripe, putting it into her mouth. Another quick look at her watch told her that there were still eighteen minutes left.

Sighing she started to get the feeling those would be really long eighteen minutes.

* * *

"Delayed!?" Hitomi asked the lady behind the counter, putting her hands on it and leaning forward slightly. She had waited for the plane to arrive until she noticed that even after forty-five minutes it hadn't landed and, having gotten worried, decided to ask why it took so long for the plane to land.

"Yes, there was a problem that had to be resolved before they could take off, but the plane will arrive in an hour and a half. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience." the lady said.

"Yeah, well. Thanks for the information."she said and pushed herself off the counter, walking back to the seat she was occupying and letting herself sag into it. "Great."

What was she supposed to do now?

Going back home would just be a waste of time since she couldn't get anything done before having to head out again. So she would have to kill some time here.

She continued to sit there, pretty much only twiddling her thumbs and whistling the odd melody or two until she got tired of that and started to play _I spy_ with herself, which wasn't really as fun for a lengthy period of time.

With nothing else to do she decided she might as well explore the place.

The Karateka walked across the hallways of the airport lazily, seeing people come and go, watching the security staff do their job, which currently was just waltzing over the place showing presence and watched some of the planes that took off.

She should have brought something to read with her.

Luckily she found a small café on her voyage through the airport, so at least she could drink something while she waited.

Hitomi sat down at a table, taking a quick look at the menu, then ordered a cup of hot chocolate and a piece of apple pie when the waiter asked what she wanted to order, giving the man a small smile. She then leaned back, simply closing her eyes as she waited.

It didn't take long until he came back with her order and she thanked him before tasting the pie, enjoying the rich taste.

The hot chocolate was exactly how she liked it as well.

Propping up her chin on the palm of her hand she watched the other people, small families that returned from their vacation, couples holding hands as they headed for the exit.

Her thoughts turned to her friend; what was she doing right now?

Another sigh made its way past her lips. Why was she always so unlucky when it came to people she was interested in? She could remember a time when it wasn't like that, having had a pretty normal boyfriend in a pretty normal relationship that ended in a normal way.

Then all of a sudden she found a guy, who would later turn out to be a ninja of all things, and from then on it was nothing but trouble ending with her feelings not being returned.

Really it was better if she just ignored it until it would go away. She knew it but in her mind she already pictured her friend's beautiful lips, her eyes, cute nose and above all things her legs, which had to be the most perfect legs she'd ever laid eyes upon and would simply-

She shook her head violently. _Dammit Hitomi, stop!_ She slapped herself on the cheeks to get back her focus and forced herself to think of her studies while getting back to enjoying her order.

And the next.

And the one after that. It wasn't like she really had anything to do and the apple pie was really good. It was no Sachertorte but you couldn't have everything, right?

She knew it would come back to bite her and she would have to bust her ass to burn those calories, but that was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

With that she occupied herself until it was time that her friend would arrive.

* * *

When the announcement came that the flight would arrive the only thing going through her mind was _Finally!_

She paid the bill, which was higher than she'd liked, made her way to where she was over an hour ago and sat down, waiting for the small rush of people that would come through the gate watching for any sign of her friend.

And there she was passing an elderly couple, a cheerful smile on her lips, making Hitomi's insides tingle as she got up and walked towards her friend, who spotted her. "Hitomi!" the Chinese called, waving.

They stopped in front of one another and Hitomi found herself strangely reminded of when she left Hong Kong, not knowing what she should do as she looked at her, trying to keep focused on her face and not to look anywhere indecent, especially since Leifang was wearing a shirt that showed of a nice amount of cleavage.

"Hey..." she said simply, returning the smile with a smaller one of her own. The Chinese looked at her as if she was expecting something, putting her hand on her hips and tilting her head a little. "What?"

"Aren't you gonna make good on your threat from a few weeks ago?" The Chinese asked. Hitomi looked at her in confusion. Her friend used her hand to gesticulate while being so gracious to tell her what she meant. "You know 'Hugs and kisses, hugs and kisses everywhere'"

Hitomi felt blood rush to her face as she flushed slightly. Yeah she had said that and was already starting to regret it. Imperceptibly hesitant she took a step forward and hugged her friend, who returned it immediately. She closed her eyes, feeling herself heat up from the closeness and, without thinking, planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Well now I feel welcome." Leifang giggled and they let go of each other. The German finally dared to give her a once over. She looked...good, but really when did she not?

The twosome picked up the Chinese's luggage and hailed a cab, Hitomi telling the driver to which hotel he needed to drive, then whistled through her teeth when they arrived since it was a five star one, but really she shouldn't be surprised at all.

After Leifang checked in they were shown to the Chinese's room, which was, of course, one of the best in the whole hotel and Hitomi found herself in the same situation as back in New York. _High life_ she thought.

"Yes, thank you." Leifang told the bellhop, who took his leave, then turned towards her closing the door. "Would you mind helping me unpack?" she asked, smiling.

"Sure, no sweat." They unpacked all of the Chinese's clothes and other articles, Hitomi taking extra care to put everything away neatly, but avoiding the more intimate type of clothes like the plague. She didn't need more things to make her uncomfortable. She had enough of that for today, thank you very much.

After unpacking they sat down on the queen-sized bed, chatting a little about this and that.

"So, you have some plans for tonight?" Leifang asked spontaneously, catching the Karateka off guard. She looked around the suite, trying to think up an answer. She had to study but it wouldn't be the end of the world if she took a break for today, but on the other hand it might be better if she left for now; it was unfair but she needed to be alone right now.

"Sorry, I have to study for my next semester and I'll be rather busy with that for a while." she told her, genuinely feeling sorry.

"It's all right." Leifang gave her a reassuring smile, then patted her hand, causing a few butterflies to flutter in her stomach. She needed to get out. "Better if I get used to the different time zone anyway. So how about tomorrow then?

"I don't know..."

"I could help you study." Leifang suggested. "And maybe we could make some food together too, I really enjoyed when we did it the last time."

Hitomi looked into her friend's eyes and already knew that she couldn't say no to her. Leifang was really looking forward to it and part of her was feeling already guilty for blowing her off for the day. "Yeah, sure, why not?" she gave her friend a smile.

Leifang gave her a beautiful one in return.

Hitomi had a feeling that tomorrow would be more distracting than anything else.

* * *

_**I think Hitomi is starting a really unhealthy habit there.**__**But she sure doesn't have it easy. Who in their right mind would get the hots for a girl like Leifang?  
...**_  
_**Wait, don't answer that.**_

_**Just a little heads up, I might be able to upload two chapters next week if my holiday on thursday as well as the weekend is kind to me. But regardless of that: see you next week.  
**_


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

* * *

After getting back home Hitomi found studying much harder than before until, after a few hours of not making any progress, she simply gave up, turned on the TV and simply zapped through the channels just to have something to do.

It worked well enough, until Hitomi found herself getting bored out of her mind, got up and changed into a simple jogging suit and did a few rounds around the block before heading to one of the parks she knew. A few children were playing around at the swing nearby.

The German spotted a good spot with enough space and headed over, opening the jacket and letting it fall on the ground, then rolled up the sleeves of her simple white T-shirt.

She took a deep breath, stretching a little, then got into position. The Karateka practiced her katas for the next hour until she was drenched in sweat. Wiping some of it from her brow she looked around and noticed that the children had stopped playing and were watching her in awe.

Showing them a toothy grin she grabbed her jacket, bound it around her waist and jogged back to her apartment, feeling rather refreshed despite her workout and her mind being clear of her worries for the time being, and hey she burned off some of that cake too.

Back home she checked for any mail and, when finding none, simply jogged up the stairs and entered her apartment, humming the tune from a song she heard on the radio and undressed, throwing her sweaty clothes into the laundry, then made her way into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Afterwards, as she was drying her hair, she took a quick look at the clock and noticed that it was already evening, but after all the cake earlier she wasn't really hungry so she just sat down on her sofa and decided to watch a movie before calling it a day.

But when she lied down later that evening sleep wouldn't come. She tossed and turned, throwing off her blanket then covering herself again before sighing and opening her eyes, simply staring at the ceiling, her thoughts going back to her current dilemma.

_When did it start_ She wondered, crossing her arms behind her head. Thinking back to the past days she wasn't so sure that this attraction was as sudden as she thought it was. She already saw some of her actions in Hong Kong in a different light, like how she acted when they shared a bath, or how she was seeking closeness with her whenever she had the chance without even realizing it.

So could her actions before that be an indication of her feelings as well and if so, when did it start?

In New York? During the tournament?

Or maybe even before that? Now that she thought about it she was always a bit on the more touchy-feely side with even her female friends, but Leifang didn't mind it over the time that they've known each other.

She wasn't sure about anything anymore, only that the best thing she could do right now was to ignore what she felt towards her friend. For her and for their friendship's sake. At least she told herself that, but the truth of the matter was that simply ignoring what she felt could not happen as long as Leifang was around, which would be for a few weeks.

_Just bear it Hitomi, you can do it. _She told herself. If she managed to bring tomorrow to a close without wanting to jump Leifang, then she could do it for the time that the Chinese would spend here and soon enough she would be up to her neck in her studies, leaving her with no time to think about her feelings and, soon enough, getting over them. _Afterward you'll be laughing about all this._

There would still be the little fact that her sexuality wasn't what she thought it was and telling her father about it, but that was a hurdle she would take another time. First things first.

And the first thing on her list right now was getting some sleep and while it didn't come as quickly as she would have liked, it eventually came to her.

At least it was a start.

* * *

Hitomi woke up to the sound of her door bell ringing. Opening one of her eyes and groaning when she saw how late it was, she dragged herself out of the bed and left her bedroom, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She muttered when the doorbell rang again. She straightening the long T-shirt that doubled as her nightgown so that she wouldn't show too much skin and pressed the buzzer, letting the person, who was probably Leifang anyway, in.

A fresh breeze hit her in the face as she opened the door, making her wake up completely. She rubbed the back of her hand against her eyes once more to clear them completely and stretched a bit to loosen some kinks in her back.

She was stifling a yawn when Leifang came into view, wearing a simple black t-shirt and a long jeans patterned skirt, the heels clacking with every step she made in the hallway.

"Hey." Hitomi greeted her, catching herself checking her out a little and averted her eyes smoothly, looking at the smiling face of her friend.

"Hi," she was greeted in return. Leifang looked her up and down and giggled. "You look like you just got out of bed."

"That's because I did. Didn't get much sleep last night." she explained, stepping out of the way to let her friend in and closing the door behind her. She pointed to the living room and stifled another yawn. "Why don't you sit down while I go change?"

"Sure, take your time."

Hitomi walked back into the bedroom, changed into some comfortable house clothes and made the bed while she was there before heading into the living room where her friend was sitting, waiting patiently and looking at the books strewn out over the table that the Karateka had left there the previous evening. Her gaze was focused on the math book and the several notes scattered across it.

"Yeah, math isn't one of my best topics." she explained while sitting down beside her.

"I can see that," Leifang replied amused, lifting one of the notes she had scribbled hastily. "So why bother studying it in the first place?"

"It's part of my pedagogy studies, and since I needed some minor classes I decided that one of them would be math. Guess that was the martial artist in me wanting to beat a challenge."

"Hmm, I see..." Leifang gathered up all of her notes and put them together then placed them neatly onto the table. "So should I help you? I'm actually rather good in math."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it." She grabbed the book and pointed at the part where she was currently stuck. "I can't figure out how to solve this one."

Over the next few hours the two of them studied together, with the Chinese helping her and explaining something whenever she couldn't figure it out by herself, improving her progress tremendously.

After having gotten math down she turned to one of the easier topics, which she had to do alone because of the language barrier, and a few minutes later she found the Chinese simply staring at her as if she realized something only now. "What?" she asked.

"I never knew you needed reading glasses." Leifang said and had to suppress a giggle. "You look so cute!"

Hitomi felt herself flush a little and turned her attention back to the book mumbling: "Yeah whatever."

"Aww, don't be embarrassed. They suit you."

"I guess..." Hitomi simply continued to study as her friend watched her, concentrating as best as she could on the matter at hand instead of on the closeness of her friend.

After another thirty minutes the German put down her pen and looked at her friend, feeling rather hungry. "How about we skip the studying for now and get to the cooking? I'm getting pretty hungry."

Leifang's face lit up at the mention of that and nodded enthusiastically. "Sure."

They headed into the kitchen and Hitomi pulled various ingredients, as well as two stainless steels pots, a smaller and a larger one, and put them onto the counter, opening a package of milk and pouring it into the smaller of the two then turned to her friend.

"We'll be doing Croquettes today." Hitomi explained.

"Oh! I know those" Leifang said.

"Good, now here is a little fact, normally in Germany we make them out of potatoes, but today we're gonna do it differently." She lifted her finger and pointed at the meat. "First off we'll be cooking the chicken breasts in the milk, now we could do it with water too, but since we'll be using the milk anyhow it will have a bit more of a meaty taste, which is good."

After explaining she put the pot with the milk onto the stove and turned it on, then opened up the packages of the chicken breasts and washed them together with her friend. By the time they were done with that the milk was ready, so Hitomi put the meat in.

When it was finished she put the meat into sieve that she placed over the sink to let it dry a bit and when it was dry enough she placed it onto a cutting board, then handed a knife, hilt first, to her friend. "Could you cut those in very small bits? I need to prepare something else."

"Ok." Leifang said and grabbed the knife, getting started on cutting it when Hitomi showed her exactly how she should do it.

The brunette took the other pot and poured some oil and flour into it, looking over her shoulder to the Chinese, her eyes wandering over her body, down to her butt, then caught herself and turned back to what she was doing.

"Shit." she swore silently under her breath, nearly having put in too much, then put the pot on stove, grabbed a whisk and stirred it until it turned into paste.

"Hitomi, I'm finished."

"Good, bring it here." The Chinese did as she was told and Hitomi told her to pour it all into the bigger pot while Hitomi was still stirring it, increasing her speed.

"This needs to be stirred for fifteen minutes and after that it needs to cool down, for that we'll put it into this Tupperware box," she nodded towards the plastic repository. She stirred for a few more minutes and looked at Leifang, who was watching her in turn. "Wanna try?"

"Sure." They switched places and Hitomi stood close behind the Chinese, grabbing her hands and showing her exactly how she should do it and the German closed her eyes, inhaling the sweet fragrance of her perfume. _Dammit!_

"W-well that's how you do it." she said and let go of her, looking at the clock to hide the small blush on her face. "Um, do that for another 5 minutes and then put it in the Tupperware, it'll need to cool off for a while until we can work with it, you mind if I go take a shower?"

Leifang smiled at her and shook her head. "No, I think I'll be fine here so take your time."

"Great. Turn off the stove when you're finished and let it cool down on the air before putting it in the fridge." Hitomi went into the bathroom, undressed quickly and looked at her reflection in the mirror; good, the blush was already gone. She stepped into the shower.

* * *

After thirty minutes Hitomi stepped out of the shower, her hair still a bit damp, and saw her friend sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine. "Everything went ok?"

"Yeah, I did as you told me." The German made her way into the kitchen cleaned the pots, put them way and checked if the sauce was already cold enough. Satisfied with it she pulled out the Tupperware and called Leifang over.

"All right," she said and pulled off the lid. "This is Bechamel sauce."

"Mhm, and how will that become Croquettes?"

"There comes the next part," she said and grabbed a few eggs and cracked them open over a bowl and let their content flow down into it, cleaned the whisk from before and beat the eggs. After having done that she opened a small receptacle filled with bread crumbs, then washed her hands. "The next thing we'll have to do is shaping the Bechamel into a cylindrical form."

She cut a small portion with a knife and showed her how it was done. "Like this."

They both worked on shaping them together, which took them a bit of time, since they joked a bit around while doing so, the Chinese bumping her hips against Hitomi's who retaliated until they both burst into laughter.

"Ok, that's the last one." Hitomi said and washed her hands again, then went to grab a frying pan out of the cupboards, placing it on the stove and pouring some oil into it, swaying it from side to side to spread it . "Your job now is to dip them into the egg and breadcrumbs and place them on the cutting board over here, I'm gonna take care of frying them."

"Okidokie." Leifang gave her a thumbs up and went to work and Hitomi had to clasp her hand over her mouth or else she might have laughed when her friend looked totally grossed out as she did what she was told, complaining that it was slimy."

"Come on, don't be a baby."

"Hmpf."

Chuckling to herself she shook her head and put the croquettes into the frying pan, watching her friend over her shoulder from time to time, who was slowly taking a delight in what she was doing. The Karateka couldn't stop the soft smile from forming on her lips and she felt her heartbeat going a little bit faster, a pleasant feeling coursing through her body.

For a moment she was simply content with everything, then dropped the smile and went back to what she was doing.

She didn't notice that she wasn't chiding herself this time.

* * *

_**Hitomi, you're being quite obvious you know. **_

_**Really I should stop writing about cooking when I'm getting hungry. That's never a good combination.**_

_**Well onto the next chapter then.**_


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

* * *

Hitomi leaned over the book she had burrowed from the university's library yesterday, deeply engrossed in the text, taking notes occasionally when she found something that she thought was important.

A sigh made her look up directly at her friend, who had propped her chin in her folded hands looking back at the Karateka. She had been helping her study for the past few days ever since she arrived, but today she seemed a bit...sullen?

"What's wrong?" she asked her friend, who removed one of her hands from under her chin.

"Nothing. Well, nothing serious. But don't you think studying the whole day," she pointed towards the books on the table. "Is a bit boring? It's been all you've done since I came. And you were at your father's dojo earlier too. What I'm trying to say is: why don't we do something fun today?"

"Fun?" Hitomi raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, we could go out tonight, just the two of us. Everyone needs a break." Leifang said and gave her a smile that made it hard for Hitomi to refuse.

Hitomi took off her glasses and ran a hand over her face, then moved it to the back of her neck, massaging it slightly. Even if she wanted to refuse, Leifang was right. She had been sitting there ever since she came home from the dojo and now it was evening. She had tried too hard to focus on her studies so that she wouldn't have to think about other certain matters currently occupying her mind, but in the end it only stressed her out more. She needed a break. _A simple night out would be nice._

Sure she would spend it with the person that she was currently attracted to and she knew it would make her a little uncomfortable later on. Still, it would at least help her relax a little.

And who knows, maybe she would find someone else that might strike her fancy more than her friend did.

"Sure. Why not." she said and her friend's face lit up.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed, then her face became thoughtful. "Hmm, I will need to get ready and changed for tonight though, so I think I'll head over to the hotel now to take a bath and all that. Do you know a place we could go to?"

"Um no, I don't exactly spend my evenings at town all the time. But I can ask around. Just gimme a call later once you're ready and I'll pick you up from the hotel."

"Sure, it's a date then."

_Please don't say it like that_ Hitomi thought, shifting in place.

She accompanied her to the door and waved her off, closing the door behind her and leaning against it with her back, listening to the clacking of her friend's heels echoing through the hallway. She took a deep breath and exhaled it heavily.

_Keep cool, Hitomi. You can do this, you have to do this and when it's over you can manage the rest of her stay with no problems. _She told herself and rubbed her face with one hand, then ran it through her hair, stopping at her headband.

"Alrighty." she said and headed back into the living room to get some more studying done. After about an hour and a half she put her things away and headed into the bathroom, taking a quick shower and taking care of other aspects of her personal hygiene while she was at it.

She looked at her reflection, brushing her pinky across her eyebrows checking if they needed some plucking and nodded in satisfaction. She then grabbed a bit of lip gloss and lifted it to her lips, but halted a hair's breadth away.

Hitomi looked at the make up article, then at herself, contemplating what she should do. With a sigh she closed it and put it away, grabbing a brush and running it through her hair, then put back her trademark hairband, smiling at herself.

She pulled the towel from her body, throwing it into the laundry, and made her way to her bedroom naked as the day she was born before grabbing a pair of white undies and putting them on.

The brunette opened her wardrobe and stood there for a few moments, contemplating what she should wear. In a spur of the moment the grabbed into it and pulled out a short, black leather skirt that left part of her left thigh exposed and had two green stripes on the side, which she hadn't worn for quite some time, pulling it on and inspected her backside in the mirror. Good, it was still fitting.

She pulled out the matching sleeveless leather top, and put it on, leaving the zipper halfway down to show a little bit of cleavage. Giving herself a last once over she left her bedroom and went to her front door, putting on one a pair of black, high heeled boots and heading into the hallway.

Hitomi took the few steps towards Viktor's apartment and rang his doorbell, hoping he was at home or else she would need to have to check the internet for some place that her and Leifang could go to. And that wasn't a really reliable source.

A few moments passed until the door opened, revealing Viktor holding a small pot in one hand while stirring its contents. "I'm not buying any-Ah Hit-girl, what's up?" he asked, then eyed her up and down lifting a black eyebrow.

"Are you going on a date or something? It's rare to see you out of your usual style."

Hitomi grimaced inwardly at the mention of the word _date_. "Or something. Leifang and I decided to do something fun today."

"Cool, but I don't see how that is concerning me." he said in a sing-song voice, giving her a cheeky grin, still stirring, making Hitomi try to sneak a peek.

"What are you making?" she asked.

"If you must know just some simple Bolognese sauce." the Karateka took a look into the pot, then sniffed at it before dipping her pinky in, ignoring his protests, and taking a taste.

"Needs more spice." she commented. "Anyway I'm here to ask if you know a place Leifang and me could go to. You're more familiar with that part of town."

"'That part of town', girl you make it sound like a ghetto. So, any kind of place in particular you want to know about?" he asked, opting to ignore what she just did with the sauce.

"Uh..." she said and brushed a nail across her right cheek.

"I see. Ok what does she like to do?"

"Well the last time we went out we were at a karaoke bar,"

"Yeah ok, nope." he interjected.

"And we went to a club."

"Hmm ok, I know this one club, rather new and I know for a fact that the staff can speak english. It's a requirement since it's aimed at tourists. Wait a sec I'm gonna write down how to get there." he went back into his apartment and came back a few moments later, the pot having left his hand and replaced by a small note that he handed over to the brunette. "There you go."

Hitomi inspected the note. _Oh hey, it's right in between here and Leifang's hotel. Lucky!._

"Thanks, I appreciate it." she told her friend and gave him a smile.

"Don't mention it. Well I'm just gonna return to my food. Hmm I think I forgot something..." he added absentmindedly. "Oh well, it's gonna come back to me eventually. See you around, and have fun."

"Ciao. Will do." she said. _Or will try._

He closed the door and she went back into her own apartment and right on cue her cellphone started ringing, showing the name of her friend on the display.

"Yeah." she said as she picked up.

"Hey, I'm pretty much done here so you can come over whenever." Leifang told her and Hitomi had to raise her left eyebrow when she heard something that sounded like struggling on her friend's part.

"Everything all right?"

"Yes, just this damn zipper being stuck!" she said, making Hitomi chuckle.

"Ok, so I'm gonna come over right now. See you soon."

Hitomi grabbed her purse and checked if she had everything with her, then headed out of the door, locking it, and made her way to the bus stop.

At the hotel Hitomi announced herself at the reception desk then went up to her friend's room, stopping in front of her door. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, then knocked on the door saying: "It's me Hitomi."

"Coming!" her friend shouted and not a moment later the door opened. For a moment the Karateka was petrified. Leifang was wearing a short, black dress that hugged her body in all the right places and gave a generous view on her cleavage, which she adorned with a golden phoenix pendant.

Hitomi couldn't help but let her eyes roam over her. On her legs Leifang wore black stockings, which made the German's fingertips tingle, wanting to run them along each leg. But what made her breath get caught in her throat was her face. Her lips were painted a deep scarlet and she noticed the red eyeshadow that she had put on.

She looked...

_Striking_ was all she could manage to think.

"Well, how do I look?" Leifang asked and leaned against the doorframe, striking a light pose. This made the brunette wake up from her daze.

"G-great, you look great. Wow."

"Why thank you." Leifang giggled and gave her a once over as well. "You look good too. You should wear something like that more often."

"Hmm I don't know about that." Hitomi said and before Leifang could answer added: "So are we ready to get going?"

"Mhm." Leifang replied and went back into the room to get her purse and put on her heels, then stepped out and snapped the door shut.

"Where are we going to anyway?" she asked as they walked side by side out of the hotel.

"A club Viktor recommended. Told me they spoke english there so that's a plus." she shrugged. "No karaoke clubs though, sorry. We aren't that big on the whole thing over here."

"Ah that's ok." Leifang said and hailed a taxi

They didn't talk much on the ride to the club.

* * *

Inside the club, called ROOTS, they were met with music that was much too loud for Hitomi's tastes and the loads of people that were either on the dance floor or standing at the bar ordering their drinks.

Before the Karateka could do anything her friend was grabbing her by the hand, dragging her to the dance floor. While wading through the sea of people, Hitomi found herself being rather glad that it was so warm in here, else she'd have to explain the blush that was spreading on her face.

To her embarrassment Hitomi wasn't that great of a dancer. Sure she did know some small dance moves, but nothing she would win a cigar with and she admitted as much to her friend.

"Don't worry," Leifang said and pointed around her. "There are a lot of people here that can't really dance, but it doesn't bother them, because," she grabbed her other hand, now holding them. "The important thing is to have fun."

The brunette looked at the other girl for a moment then smiled at her and nodded. She let herself be guided by her friend's eagerness, dancing with her and laughing, finding herself dancing closer and closer to the Chinese, who didn't notice or if she did didn't seem to mind.

After a few dances Hitomi excused herself, suddenly feeling rather thirsty, and went to the bar to get a drink, Leifang saying that she would do another round then join her.

"What's wrong?" the man behind the bar counter asked when he heard her sigh.

"Hmm? Ah, just got a lot on my mind." She shook her head.

"Love troubles?"

Hitomi nodded smiling wryly, "You could say that.

"Well everyone has those in life. But," he pulled out a glass and placed it in front of her, then poured her a drink. "Luckily there's a remedy that makes it a little more endurable."

"Here's to that." Hitomi said and downed the drink, wondering when she started being ok with drinking so casually.

* * *

Hitomi and Leifang giggled as they made their way up the stair to the German's apartment. After a few hours of dancing and the occasional drink the two of them decided to call it a night and Hitomi offered her friend the good old sofa since it would be impractical to have a taxi drive them both home separately.

"You should've seen the face of the guy when you simply blew him off." Hitomi said, pulling out her key and unlocking the door, letting her friend walk in first.

"Oh how gentlemanly of you." Leifang commented and took of her shoes.

"I could have carried you over the doorstep as well, your highness." Hitomi shot back smirking, then took off her own shoes.

"Hmm, maybe next time." They were both a bit tipsy from their drinks and it was showing, especially on Hitomi's part since she was becoming a bit daring.

The two of them walked into the living room, Hitomi plopping down on the sofa placing her feet on the table. Leifang though didn't seem to be in the mood to sit but rather lie down, putting her feet onto the Karateka's lap.

Biting her lip Hitomi grabbed one of her friend's feet and started massaging it softly, eliciting a sigh from her friend.

"I didn't want to ask, but this is exactly what I need right now." Leifang said, her voice sounding a bit throaty because she was tired, and Hitomi felt herself becoming quite warm, letting go with one hand to fan herself a little, then went back to work again.

Then she remembered something her friend had said and, feeling even more daring right now and not noticing the flirty glint that she had in her eyes, ran a finger across the side of the foot, earning herself a giggle.

"Stop that I told you I'm ticklish there."

"Oh, is that so?" she asked teasingly and did it again, causing her friend to wriggle her foot in her grip, trying to get it free. A grin split her face and she attacked the spot mercilessly, her friend bursting into laughter.

"Hitomi! S-stop it!" Leifang said between laughter, still trying to wrestle her foot free but the Karateka was stronger.

Then all of a sudden a pillow hit Hitomi in the face causing her to let go and not a second later Leifang was on her feet, the weapon in hand. "Oh no you didn't."

"I did." Leifang giggled and held the pillow in both hands, like it was a protective shield.

"That's it, you want a war, you got yourself one." Hitomi said and grabbed a pillow of her own, attacking her immediately after.

They both laughed, Hitomi hitting her friend with the pillow, who was using hers to block every attack, running around the living room. Eventually Hitomi threw her pillow away and grabbed Leifang's, using all her strength to wrestle it from her grip and flinging it away, then grabbed her wrists.

They struggled around for a few moments, then Hitomi gained the upper hand and forced her friend onto the floor, pinning her down with her arms to the side.

She inhaled sharply as she noticed the close proximity and which they suddenly found each other, Hitomi laying completely on top of Leifang, her legs pushed between her and their chests touching with every breath they took.

The German found herself looking at those beautiful brown eyes that seemed to look right into her soul, then at the red painted lips, opened slightly as if to invite her and she felt herself closing in on them.

_Stop it!_ Something inside her screamed but ignored it, her eyes closing slowly, mimicking the movement of the pair before her.

Their lips found one another.

For a second no one did anything, then it hit Hitomi what she was doing and let go, pushing herself off her friend.

"I'm sor-" she couldn't finish what she wanted to say since as soon as she let go of her friend's hands they snaked around her neck, pulling her back down into another kiss.

Her eyes widened then closed again as she lost herself in the kiss, the realization that Leifang wasn't pushing her away only fueling the fire inside her even more.

Hitomi pushed her arms underneath her friend's shoulders and lifted her up, stumbling a little bit forward and pushed her against the wall.

Their lips parted for a moment as they gasped for air, then clashed again.

" . ." Hitomi said in between kisses, not even knowing why she did it, blaming the little part inside her that wanted to force her to stop.

"No." Leifang managed to say before their lips met again and the brunette, taking that as an invitation, slipped her tongue inside brushing it against the Chinese's, enjoying the remaining taste of alcohol on it as Leifang moaned into her mouth.

Trailing one of her hands down Hitomi brushed it along her friend's beautifully shaped leg, guiding it to the back of her knee and lifting it up. Leifang immediately circled it around her hips, her fingers burying into Hitomi's hair.

In a swift motion Leifang grabbed her hairband and threw it across the room, Hitomi hearing it clatter to the floor somewhere, then brushed her finger deeper into her hair, her fingernails raking across her scalp.

The Karateka broke off the kiss and brushed her lips across Leifang's jawline before attacking her neck with kisses.

A low moan escaped the Chinese's lips when she started nibbling on the sensitive flesh, making Hitomi shudder and press her pelvis against the Chinese's.

Hitomi's other hand grabbed the hem of her dress and started pulling it up, another shudder going through her body as Leifang moaned out a "Yes."

They needed to get to the bedroom.

Or at least that would have been the plan if a voice didn't stop them in their tracks.

"Hit-girl I finally remembered, I totally forgot to give back your... spare key?" Viktor halted, his eyes bulging at what he saw. Seconds that seemed like hour passed before he put the spare key onto the small table next to him.

"Uh don't mind me!" he said hurriedly making for the door. "Have fun you two!"

Neither Hitomi nor Leifang did or said anything, only their breathing could be heard inside the apartment. Slowly they untangled themselves, looking at each other.

Without thinking Hitomi made for another kiss, but Leifang dodged to the side, passing her. "I-I think I should go!" Leifang stammered and hurried to the door. Hitomi followed her, but when she caught up the door slammed shut and she could hear the clicking sound of the heels, as they ran down the stairs.

"Damn it!" Hitomi ran both of her hands through her hair, exhaling the breath she didn't know she was holding.

She should have followed her, but something inside her stopped her from doing so.

Leifang didn't get in touch with her the next day, and when she asked at the hotel the day after they told her she had already checked out.

* * *

_**MUAHAHAHAHA! I'm downright evil I know. But did you really think I'd make it so easy for them?**_

_**This is gonna be fun to write.**_

_**Well stay tuned for next week then.**_


	23. Chapter 22

**This one's rated M~**

**Chapter 22**

* * *

The rustling of sheets could be heard through the bedroom as the German tossed and turned in her bed, trying for the past hours to get some sleep and not succeeding a lick in doing so. She opened her eyes and took a look at the alarm clock on her nightstand showing 3:12. She groaned, burying her head under the pillow.

Ever since Leifang had left a week ago she had only managed to get a few hours of sleep every night until she woke up and simply laid there not doing anything. She felt like total crap.

Had she ruined their friendship?

Slowly she pulled herself from under the pillow, her gaze turning to the PC that stood in the corner of the room neatly set under the desktop.

After she had learned that Leifang left she had written e-mail after e-mail saying how sorry she was, telling her that it was mistake, that the alcohol was responsible and that she kissed her in the heat of the moment because of that.

She did that for a few days then quit when it was clear that she wouldn't get an answer.

The German covered her face with her hand, then pinched the bridge of her nose and gritted her teeth, slamming her fist down on the mattress.

She was so damn sorry!

Hitomi grabbed the pillow, covered her face with it and screamed into it with all her might, the sound being drowned by it. Having relieved herself she threw it across the room, hitting the wall where it simply slumped down.

She glared at it as if everything was its fault. Her glare was short lived though as she looked out of the window, her eyes losing the fire in them.

Sitting up she pulled her legs closer, hugging them to her chest and closed her eyes, resting her forehead against her knees. She remained that way for a few minutes, only breathing deeply in and out.

With a frustrated sigh she got off her bed and walked into the bathroom, turning on the lights and stopping before her mirror, taking a good look at herself. She looked awful, the past week of not getting much sleep clearly showing on her face, her skin pale and dark rings under her eyes.

_Maybe a shower might help me get some sleep._ The Karateka slowly pulled off the oversized T-shirt she was using as pajamas over her head, letting it drop to the floor. Her panties followed and she got into the shower.

Hitomi closed her eyes when the hot water hit her skin, her hands gathering some of it and splashing it against her face. She leaned against the shower wall, closing her eyes. The instant she did so the face of Leifang appeared before her smiling cheerfully and she somehow had to think back to their last vacation on Zack Island.

The brunette bit her lower lip, her desire having been sparked when she envisioned the Chinese in one of her more revealing bikinis.

"Dammit Hitomi!" she cursed herself, feeling an ache in her chest, and slid down the wall, simply sitting there as the water sprayed down upon her. The scene in her mind turned to them kissing and she thought she could taste her friend on the tip of her tongue where it had touched hers, her hand slowly guiding itself to the aching spot between her legs.

Hitomi swallowed and bit down hard on her lip as she caressed herself, reliving every second of what had transpired and more, imagining what could have been if they hadn't been interrupted, if they had actually reached the bedroom. Images of her pinning the Chinese onto the mattress invaded her thoughts, the German having her way with her, eliciting moans with every action as she had her completely dominated and begging for more.

With every passing moment her movements became more intense, causing her to whimper, not daring to moan out as if someone could hear her and learn about the shameful thing she was doing.

Her other hand grabbed her breast, squeezing it, imaging it wasn't her hand but rather the always well manicured one of the Chinese. Very slowly, almost painfully so, she pushed into herself, moving her fingers to pleasure herself.

It didn't take long for her to be pushed over the edge and she felt the coppery taste of blood on her tongue as she bit too hard as the orgasm rushed through her body.

Hitomi breathed hard and opened her eyes halfway, lifting her hand and holding it under the spray of water to wash way every evidence of what she just did, but she knew that no matter how often she would wash up now, that she would feel dirty either way.

"I'm so messed up." she muttered and ran her tongue across her lower lip, cleaning it of the little bit of blood on it. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye and she quickly wiped it away forcefully.

She refused to cry, even though she had every reason to.

_What the hell._

While she did have boyfriends in the past, the thought of sex didn't cross her mind that much, which some of her friends had commented as odd, but now after discovering the truth about her sexuality she found herself thinking more and more about it despite what had happened with Leifang.

She couldn't even control her lust in a situation like this!

All of a sudden Hitomi couldn't blame her friend for running away. She probably had an air around herself like some dog in heat ready to jump the bitch.

"Good god." She ran her hand through her wet hair and simply sat there, for how long she didn't know, but by the time she decided to get out of the shower her skin had shriveled up.

She dried herself and looked again at the mirror, which had fogged up because of all the water vapor. She placed her palm against its flat surface, keeping it there for a moment, just looking, then guided it to the side to be able to see herself in the mirror again.

Hitomi inspected herself again. She still looked and felt like crap, possibly even more so than before.

With a shake of her head she dragged herself out of the bathroom, not bothering to dress and padded back into the bedroom. She threw herself into her bed, covered herself up and closed her eyes, already deciding no matter if she could sleep or not she wasn't in any shape to go to the university and might as well at least try to get some extra hours of sleep.

* * *

A sigh made its way past Leifang's lips, it was the tenth this hour and one of the countless others that came before it. Her head resting on the edge of the jacuzzi, she closed her eyes, drawing little circles in the water with her right hand.

In her mind she relived the past week. What had happened?

They were simply having fun and all of the sudden they were kissing, which soon enough turned into a full blown make out session. Her face flushed at the image and she unconsciously touched her lips, her heartbeat becoming faster.

It was sad to admit for a woman her age but that had been her first kiss. She never even considered a man in her life after she had been rescued by Jann Lee and having dedicated herself to surpassing him, so there was no time for something like a teenage romance for her.

Of course having never experienced something like that she wasn't prepared for the rush that she had felt. It had felt...good. Really good in fact, and that disturbed her since it was her best friend of all people that did it. Her best friend who, and she knew that for a fact, was interested in guys.

Yet she still had kissed her, and while they both were tipsy they were sober enough to simply stop if they had wanted to, at least from Leifang's end. So what did that mean?

Had she been so physically starved that she had to use her best friend as relief?

And if so was it the same for Hitomi?

Leifang opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. What was she supposed to do?

The German had written her an E-mail more than once after she had pretty much fled from Freiburg, but she didn't dare open them to read their content, afraid of what it might reveal.

The Chinese brought her arms close, hugging herself thinking of how her friend must feel right now, her heart being torn in two by the fact that she probably had hurt her by running instead of just talking it through with her.

But after Viktor had caught them in the act and they way Hitomi looked at her afterward, her eyes filled with desire for...something, closing in for another kiss, she simply panicked and had to get away even though part of her wanted to lean in as well.

Outside she had walked down the street and hailed the nearest taxi, drove back to her Hotel room and the next day she was gone on her way back to Hong Kong. And this was where she was now for the past week, her mind always going back to those events and her friend, making her more confused than ever, throwing her emotions into further disarray.

They had already been plagued with doubt as to her feelings for Jann Lee and if her dream of beating him, and becoming a part of his world, were still what they used to be after eight long years. She didn't need conflicting feelings regarding Hitomi as well.

Leifang let herself slide completely into the jacuzzi, submerged her head and starred at the ceiling from under the water, blocking everything else out as she tried to calm down and for a small while she felt secure.

In her mind she pictured her friend. Teaching Leifang how to cook little by little, being patient while explaining her what she had to do, simply having a good time and giving her one of her bright, cheerful smiles which made her heart skip a beat. The same way that the determined eyes of a young man, bent on becoming one of the best martial artists in the world, once did.

The need for oxygen made her emerge from the water, her hand flying up to brush her long hair out of her face.

She couldn't, for the love of everything that was holy, figure out what was wrong.

A knock on the door startled her, her hands flying up to cover her breasts, then dropped them again chastising herself when she realized that it could only be one person.

"Come in." she called before Zhen opened the door and walked in, holding a folded up bathrobe in her hands.

"Thanks, please place it over there." Leifang said and pointed to the sink, watching as her housekeeper did as she was told. The older woman stopped at the doorway as she made her way out, turning towards her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes of course I'm alright." she lied, her eyes turning to the right so she wouldn't have to look at her directly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well for starters you came back earlier than expected and ever since you've been acting rather withdrawn." her housekeeper said, concern evident in her voice.

"I just have a lot on my mind right now and need a bit time to sort it all out." she admitted.

"May I give you some advice then?" Zhen asked and Leifang turned her eyes back towards the older woman, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yes." she said.

Zhen nodded. "My grandfather once told me that whenever you are unsure of how to deal with life one should return to his place of origin. He said it always helped him make tough decisions."

Leifang looked down at the water, watching its movement as she moved her hand, contemplating what she just heard. "Thank you for the advice."

The housekeeper bowed and left the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The Chinese sat in the water for a few more moments when all of a sudden the look in her eyes changed, her lips forming a straight line, and got out of the jacuzzi, putting on the bathrobe.

She took a moment to do her hair then walked out, heading to her living room and sat down unto the sofa. She grabbed her smart phone and dialed a number.

Putting it against her ear she waited for the answer from the other end of the line.

"Hello," she said when the answer finally came, nodding even though the person on the other side couldn't see. "Yes, I'd like to book a flight."

* * *

_**DRAMA!**_  
_**What would a romance story be if it didn't have some DRAMA in it?**_

_**And damn you Anonimiss, you managed to figure out my clever scheme! I would've gotten away with it too!**_

_**Heh.  
**_  
_**You see guys I'm actually a bit farther ahead in the story already, so the arc that is coming next is already complete. I'll still keep up with my weekly schedule though, but maybe I'll post two chapters at once as well.**_

_**Stay tuned for the next update.**_


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

* * *

"And this is how you-" Hitomi drowned out the rest of what the professor was saying, her eyes falling shut just for her to open them again. She was damn tired and was starting to regret having signed up for some extra-curricular lessons that were held the month before the semester begins.

Another night of not getting much sleep was taking its toll on her and she had a hard time staying awake. She tried and failed to stifle a yawn, but managed to hide it, looking down on her notes she was taking as the man rambled on.

The pen she was holding was slowing down more and more and she found herself staring down onto the table surface, finding it strangely inviting, and unconsciously lowered her head to it.

_Just a little bit_ she thought and closed her eyes, just wanting to rest them a little.

"Am I boring you so much Miss Buchfink that you are able to sleep in my class?" Hitomi jolted awake, sitting up again and looked around her, seeing the other students staring at her. Her eyes darted to the front of the room where her professor stood looking at her, an unamused expression on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Is my lesson so boring that you find time to sleep?" he asked, taking a step in her direction.

"No professor." she said.

"So you were out all night partying? May I remind you that I'm giving these pre-semester for the students that want to really study."

"I-" she said but was cut off.

"Maybe you should go back home and take a nap." he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. Hitomi wanted to defend herself but decided it wasn't worth the effort, gathered her things inside her backpack and left the room.

With a sigh she made her way to the cafeteria, which was mostly abandoned at the moment, and sat down at one of the tables, resting her head on it and closing her eyes, immediately starting to doze off.

She was woken up by a finger tipping against her head. She opened her eyes and looked around, seeing a few people streaming into the cafeteria, before finally settling on the familiar form of Viktor holding a tray with two plates full of food.

"Hey." he said and placed the tray on the table, sitting down in the chair opposite of her, then took one of the plates and placed it directly in front of her.

Hitomi gave him a questioning look.

"Here, heard the curry rice was pretty good so I brought some for you as well. Saw you sleeping here when I entered, you ok?" he asked looking at her, then handed her the cutlery when she held out her hand.

"Thanks." she said and took a taste of the rice. It _was_ pretty good. "And I'm ok, just a bit tired." she half-lied. She was tired after all but he didn't need to know how what happened was also affecting her.

"Yeah, I can see that." he gave her a wry smile, then sobered up quickly. "I, uh, I wanted to apologize for the other day, I didn't know you two were..." he trailed off.

"We're not, and don't worry. It was the alcohol."

"I see, so how's the girl taking the effects of alcohol?" he asked, starting to eat his own food.

"I don't know, she left after you ran off, she's back in China." she told him and looked down at her food, missing him staring at her.

"Oh," he said simply. "Fuck. Is that the reason why I haven't seen you around much?"

She didn't answer that. She had tried to act as normally as possible on the outside but just didn't find the vigor to do more than she had to do on any given day and then just went home.

"I...I hope you two are ok." he said after she didn't answer.

"That remains to be seen." she said simply, not betraying any of the inner turmoil she was having.

"Hey if there's something I can do-"

"Don't worry, I'm fine, really." she gave him her best fake reassuring smile. "I just haven't gotten much sleep lately. I even fell asleep during the lesson and the professor kicked me out because of that." she shrugged. "Maybe I'm getting sick or something."

"Then you should be at home. Damn I don't even see why you signed up for this anyway. I know _I_ need some extra lessons, but you? You got a good score."

"Yeah, well too late now. Next time I'll just apologize to the professor." she said and continued eating her food, noticing just now how hungry she actually was.

"Still, take it easy alright? You're at your dad's dojo this afternoon as well, right?"

"Yeah, I'm set to spar with some of the rookies today." she told him and actually smiled for real now, happy to have something else to talk about. "Maybe there's gonna be a surprise."

"You should take a day off, you know one day without studying, working or training with the team, just a day for you. I bet that will help you with your sleeping problem." he suggested her. "How about this, I'm gonna take you with me the next time I'm going out with the other two."

With other two he meant Sven and Tim.

"I dunno." she said, not very excited of the prospect but had to admit that the idea was actually good. She was getting utterly stressed out.

"Come on, don't be like that. Maybe it'll even take your mind off this, uh thing with Leifang." She looked at him for a moment, contemplating what he said, tapping the back of her fork against the table.

Everything did bottle down to what happened with Leifang in the end, didn't it?

"Alright, alright. You win."

Viktor's face split into a grin. "Great!" he slapped her shoulder in a friendly gesture. "I'm gonna tell the others then. I'll be in touch about when we'll go."

"Yeah, knock yourself out." she said and dedicated herself to her meal, simply listening to him as he chatted away.

* * *

After parting with Viktor she decided to make a small trip around town on her bike since she had more time on her hand than expected before heading home to get ready for her job. She grabbed all she needed and put it into her sports bag, then headed out.

Not being in a hurry she took her time, enjoying the nice weather for a change, pedaling at a leisurely pace until the dojo came into view. It was an odd sight, a rather traditional looking dojo amidst old southern german buildings from the beginning of the last century.

Her father set great value upon the art and as thus wanted to impart some of the cultural aspects to his students as well, beginning with the dojo itself.

She greeted some of the students as she approached the building shouldering her bag and walked inside, leaving her shoes at the entrance.

Joachim Buchfink was easy to find, big man that he was, and of course he was always in the same spot in the training hall.

The brunette watched her father warm up for a while until the older man finally noticed that he was being watched and gave his daughter a smile.

"Hi, Papa." she greeted him and gave him a quick hug.

"Hello. You better get changed." he told her and she nodded, giving him a bright smile, or as bright as she could muster given her circumstances at the moment. She had a feeling that her father was suspecting that something was up and that she always looked more tired than usual didn't help matters, but she had gotten a nap in today so at least she didn't look half dead.

As she walked to the instructors changing rooms she saw more and more of the students coming in. They had gotten a lot this past year, children from every age category as well as some young adults were amongst them, though her father and herself mostly trained the older ones while the other instructors taught the youngsters.

Hitomi quickly changed into her karate gi and walked back to join her father, who stood at the side, his arms folded in front of his chest. He gave her a nod, his face showing that he was completely focused now and her loving father was taking the backseat to the sensei.

They waited until all the students poured into the training room and sat down.

The brunette joined her father and the other instructors in front of the students, where her father was beginning to tell them what today's lesson would consist of.

Hitomi found her attention slipping as her thoughts turned back towards her friend, if she could still call her that. She shouldn't have waited a day before going to her. Maybe she would have had time to explain everything, to appropriately apologize.

_But why did she run off without telling me anyway?_ She wondered. Yes it must have been a shock and it was her fault for letting herself get carried away, but running off in the dead of the night like that?

_Wait a minute_ she frowned. Why was it _her_ fault? She wasn't the one that just up and left, and she wanted to apologize to make everything alright between them.

Suddenly she found herself getting angry.

That was actually very typical now that she thought about it, not the first thing she would be running from. She was running from her responsibilities by avoiding studying as well!

Hitomi knew it wasn't fair of her to think that way, but was it fair of Leifang to just run off?

The Karateka was shaken out of her thoughts when she saw her father and the other instructors move into position to go through the basic katas, together with the students. She joined them, moving through the katas in hard but fluid motions like she always did.

"Good work everyone." her father told the students. "Now I want everyone to form a circle."

The students sat down on the floor, forming a circle and Joachim and Hitomi walked into the center, the other instructors remaining behind.

"Hitomi here," he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Will now do a few sparring matches with some of the newer ones of you. Hmm, you!"

He pointed to a young man that looked about her age, maybe a year younger give or take, who pointed at himself. "Yeah, you Gregor, come on."

Gregor stood up and moved towards them. "Now pay good attention everyone."

Hitomi and Gregor bowed to each other and took up position, him more hesitantly than her.

"Begin."

Hitomi narrowed her eyes, looking at Gregor, watching his every movement, gauging his next action. But none came, which was normal since the new ones were always hesitant, so the brunette did what she always did and threw a simple punch at him which she allowed him to block.

She did that a few more times until he became confident enough to attack her. _Good._

Blocking the punches he threw at her she took a step backward and, when his leg shot out in a kick, she grabbed it and pulled out his other one from under him with her foot, causing him to fall to the floor.

She walked back from him, giving Gregor room to stand up again, then began attacking him, throwing punches at him from every direction that he had a hard time blocking.

Her thoughts turned to Leifang again and she felt her anger flare up more, the force behind her punches becoming more intense. Gregor brought up his arms to defend himself better, managing to push her back a little, which only caused her to become more angry.

He punched at her, but she simply slapped his effort aside and pushed against his shoulders to shove him back, scowling openly now.

Finally having enough of this she pulled back both her arms and pushed against his block full force, breaking it and leaving him vulnerable. The Karateka grabbed his left arm and moved behind him, pushing his arm so that she couldn't move it, then did a somersault with him, got up immediately leaving him lying exposed on his back and made a punch for his face.

"Enough!" the commanding voice of her father halted her in her tracks. She turned to look at him, then at all the students who looked at her in a mix of awe and fear, before storming out of the room heading for the changing room.

She was just finished with changing, standing before her locker where she stored her normal clothes while working, when a knock on the door and the voice of her father called out to her. "Can I come in?"

"Yes." she said.

Joachim walked into the room, checking if his daughter was really properly dressed before doing so, and walked towards her, his arms coming up to fold before his chest. _Oh boy_

"What was that about?" he asked her.

"I sparred with him like I told you." she told him, not looking at him once, pretending like there was something interesting to look at inside her locker.

"You were too rough with him!" he chided her. "He's only a beginner, you are a black belt, you know you have to hold back. This didn't happen before so I want you to be honest now: What's wrong?"

Hitomi's lips formed a thin line. Her father too? It was hard enough that she would have to come out to him eventually but now also this?

"Nothing's wrong." she said in a tone unlike her.

"Oh, is that so? I think if my daughter, who I know can restrain herself perfectly, suddenly starts to roughen up one of my new students, then there is something wrong with her."

"And I'm telling you," she turned, directing her now evident in her eyes anger towards him. "There is nothing wrong with me!"

"Watch your tone Hitomi Buchfink, you're still talking to your father here!" he was almost shouting.

"Yes and I would appreciate it if my father would mind his own business!" she slammed her locker shut, grabbed her sports bag and walked past him out of the room, not listening as her father called her name.

She put on her shoes and left the dojo, angrily slamming the door behind her before making her way back home.

* * *

_**Holy crap, did Hitomi just actually blow up?**_

**Guess even she has a final straw. What will happen next I wonder?**  
**Nah actually I don't since I already know what will happen.**

**See you guys next week~**


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

* * *

The next day Hitomi was sitting on her sofa watching TV, still rather moody from what had transpired yesterday. On the evening her father had called her and told her, in non mistakenly words, that she should only come to the dojo again when she finally had sorted out her problems on which she had thrown her phone across the room, yelling that she was fine.

And since she wasn't in the mood to get another earful from someone else she simply stayed home. She phoned her trainer and told her that she was sick so that she wouldn't get into a fight with someone from her team and tried to cool off.

Thus far it didn't really work that well. Sure she wasn't as angry as yesterday but she still felt this anger inside her.

Grinding her teeth together she zapped through the channels, something that she had done countless times today.

The first thing she had done in the afternoon, after having dragged herself out of bed yet another time since she couldn't get any sleep at all during the night, was getting some workout, which she had done in the park from the other day. But that hadn't done much for her mood.

After returning she showered and since then had glued herself to the TV, only stopping for the occasional snack, which had – lo and behold – consisted of a slice of Sachertorte, but even that didn't do much to improve her mood.

As for now she was watching some kind of silly talk show, but didn't really pay attention to the topic of the discussion. It was probably something about sexuality or who's the father of the child, since that was what talk shows usually boiled down to in the end.

But really it was either watching this or those silly telenovelas that were on TV at this time of the day, and then she might as well just put her brain into a blender and grind it to a fine paste, since it would have the same result and would actually be more pleasant.

The ringing of her doorbell saved her from having to watch as some guy with tattoos was about to lift his shirt to show his piercings. Hitomi walked to the door, tugging at her sweatpants, which were loose, that had gone down a bit.

Opening it she found Viktor standing there, grinning.

"I'm not buying anything." she echoed what he said a few days before.

"Oh ha ha, someone please give this woman an award; she thinks she's funny." He said to no one in particular. "S'up?"

"The ceiling. And I try." she said, folding her arms under her chest. "Something you wanted?"

"Yeah, wanted to tell you that the boys and me are going out tonight and you said that you could use the breeeeeeak? Hey everything alright?" he asked when he noticed her expression.

"Yeah don't worry. Just a bit miffed. I didn't get any sleep last night and slept until afternoon." she half-lied.

"Damn! Well you still up for this?" he asked.

Hitomi thought about this for a moment, she had tried to blow off steam already, but maybe this would help?

She shrugged. "Sure, why not?" _Can't get any worse now, right?_

* * *

_Me and my big mouth_ she thought, finishing off her cola and leaning her head to the side as the girl dancing in front of her was sliding down the pole upside down.

Somehow Viktor had this _great_ idea of taking his friends, and thus her, to a strip-club he knew.

"Are you crazy? You just can't take me into one of those!" she had complained. "I'm a girl!"

"So? You're one of the guys anyway." he said. "'sides it's not for long and believe it or not other girls are there too. And I'm not speaking about the ones that are undressing."

Her jaw dropped and she was left speechless when he called her one of the guys. She pretty much gave up right there, letting him lead them to the club they were currently sitting in, and now she watching some floozy shaking her ass who looked directly at her.

_Did she just wink at me?_ She wondered and felt herself flush a little. She tugged at her tanned-leather crop top, which had a slight harness look to it, to not look at her directly again.

This whole scenario reminded her way too much about that one time when Tina had drank a little bit too much during their stay on Zack Island and did a pole dance in the casino lounge, much to the embarrassment of her friend Lisa. If Bass ever got wind of that one he would probably suffer a heart attack.

She turned her left where Viktor and Sven where sitting, the former watching the girl while the latter was more interested in his book. Looking to the right she found Tim Riedel watching the girl. Tim was another friend of Viktor and a quiet guy that didn't talk much, tall and a bit on the plump side, but a really nice person that enjoyed helping other people, which went hand in hand with his job as a nurse. His round face was always covered in dark brown stubble, matching the short hair on his head.

"Hey Viktor." he said, but her neighbor didn't seem to hear him. His eyes found her. "Could you, please?"

Knowing what he meant she tapped Viktor on the shoulder, getting his attention, and pointed to Tim.

"What?" Vik asked.

"Maybe we should leave. We've been here for a while now and the way things are going you'll have no money left for the rest of the evening and I don't want to pay for your ass _again_. Besides I think Hitomi's a bit uncomfortable about this."

Viktor seemed to contemplate this for a moment, looking at her, then nodded. "Yeah you're right."

They left the club, but not before the stripper could slip her a sheet of paper with her number on it. Blushing bright red she threw it into the next trash bin as they walked to the bar that they were supposed to go to originally. Viktor pulled her to the side. "Sorry for that, I guess I wasn't really thinking there."

"Don't worry it wasn't so bad, well aside from the stripper hitting on me. But don't take me to a place like this again, like ever." she told him.

"Still, I guess we've been friends for so long that I've got a problem thinking about you as anything else than one of my friends, which are guys. You're pretty much the only girl who's 'just a friend' to me." he explained himself.

"I told you, It's fine. Let's forget about it." she offered him a small smile, touched by his words.

"Ok then. Let me buy you a drink though." he offered her.

"Sure."

The four of them entered the bar, a rather simple place, and Viktor greeted the owner, who stood behind the bar, before they moved to sit in one of the booths.

They ordered their drinks, Hitomi taking a cuba libre, and sat there chatting away, the brunette mostly listening and only joining occasionally if she was addressed, otherwise keeping to herself enjoying her drink.

An hour and a half passed. They were down to their third round and Hitomi noticed that she was getting a bit tipsy when a guy approached her, grinning and clearly a more than just tipsy.

"Hey babe." he said but Hitomi didn't even pay him any mind as she was listening to Viktor going on about something he had witnessed when he was still working in a comic store.

When he heard the guy Viktor stopped his story, glancing at the guy. "Fuck off." he told him simply. "So and then the guy, and I'm talking of a big and bulky dude here, asks me where we got the Hello Kitty goods. I was like _Oh boy_ and pointed to where we stored that stuff and when he went there I managed to sneak a peek at his car. Man I don't know if he was incredibly gay or so manly that he just wasn't bothered by what people think."

"Hey," the guy persisted, patting her on the shoulder and making her look at him. "How 'bout you flash that pair of tits you're sporting?"

As he asked her his friends a few booths away were howling with laughter and Hitomi scowled at him, about to give the guy a piece of her mind when Viktor, who was sitting across from her, beat her to it.

He got up and into the guys face, flipping him the bird. "I said: FUCK OFF!"

The grin dropped from the guy's face and he walked back to his friends, who had also stopped laughing.

"Stupid ass-clown." Viktor muttered angrily.

"Be cool Hager." Sven said, putting his hand on Viktor's shoulder, who simply shrugged it of. Shrugging to himself Sven turned back to reading his book, sipping from his drink every now and again.

Tim checked his watch. "Guys I need to hit the sack soon, so I think we should call it a night."

"Yeah. Let me just go and pay up." Viktor got out of his seat and walked to the bar.

Hitomi looked down at her drink, already feeling the anger from the guy's comment welling up inside of her, adding fuel to the already burning fire.

"Uh oh." she heard Sven exclaim. "Hager's in trouble."

The Karateka's head shot up and turned to look where Viktor was. He was surrounded by the guy and his friends, five in total, and one of them grabbed him from behind.

"Great, and the owner's in the storage. Uh, how long has it been since he did some training?." Tim asked a little nervously and was about to get up when Hitomi slammed her hands onto the table, clenching them into fists until she felt her nails digging into her skin. She got up from her seat and walked over to them.

"Buchfink, don't!" Sven called but fell on deaf ears. "Oh boy..."

"Shouldn't have pissed me off." she heard the guy tell Viktor and saw him raising his fist.

She got his attention by tapping him on the shoulder and he turned to her, his face suddenly getting back that stupid grin. "Oh hey, babe changed your m-"

Hitomi cut him off with a solid punch in the gut, followed by one into the face that threw him against the bar, where he slumped down to the floor.

When his friends saw that they turned their attention towards her paying Viktor no mind, giving him the chance to get out of the way. One of them lunged at her, but Hitomi grabbed his arm and turned her body, slamming her right elbow against his temple and knocking him out instantly.

_Two down._ She thought and turned to her next attacker, ducked under his right hook and slipped her right arm past his armpit, hooking it around and placed her left hand on his shoulder. Narrowing her eyes she gave a hard push with her upper body and with a solid crack she dislocated his shoulder.

Screaming in pain he sagged to the floor, holding his wounded shoulder.

The next one came as a surprise as Hitomi barely dodged a kick aimed towards her head, taking a step back to dodge the next one that followed rapidly. This one was a martial artist.

_Tae Kwon Do, not on the level of Rig._ She thought and dodged the next kick by taking another step back. _Relies too much on high kicks._

The next kick she simply blocked with her right, turned it around and grabbed his leg not giving him the chance to pull back, then kicked his other leg out from under him, let him fall hard on the floor and punched him in the gut for good measure.

Hitomi turned to where she knew was the last one, who looked at her in terror and began to turn tail making for the door.

"Oh no you don't!" she grabbed one of the chairs from the normal tables, which thankfully were pretty light, and threw it at him socking him in the back and making him fall to the floor, giving her enough time to punch him, but before her fist could connect Viktor had grabbed her arm.

"We're outta here!" he said and pulled her out of the bar. Tim and Sven were already out there, waiting for them but just as eager to get away. "I think this is our cue to call it a night. See you guys."

"Alright, take care you two." Tim said and quickly headed with Sven in the opposite direction of where Viktor was pulling Hitomi.

"Hey, let me go!" Hitomi growled as he dragged her off.

* * *

_**Protip: Don't take Hitomi into a strip joint. She might just beat someone up afterwards.**_  
_**Girl sure got a short fuse these days.**_

_**Now when I started this fic I promised myself that I would have at least one strip club in it in any kind of form. **_  
_**But damn I'd sure would've loved to see Tina pull that off.**_

_**Next chapter's gonna be interesting. So stay tuned.  
See ya next week boys and girl!**_


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

* * *

"I said let me _go!_" Hitomi hissed as Viktor dragged her across the streets barely paying attention to the traffic, his grip only becoming tighter when she struggled.

She was way too angry right now to actually use her strength effectively and wrestle herself free.

"Viktor I'm warning you if you don't let go I'm-" he stopped in his tracks and let go of her hand, turning around.

"Or what? You gonna use me as a punching bag too?" he asked and didn't wait for her to respond. "What the fuck was that!?"

"What was that? Me saving your ass is what!"

"Did I ask you to do that!?" he scowled at her and Hitomi ground her teeth together, stepping closer to him.

"Get out of my face. If you didn't forget your training then I wouldn't have been forced to intervene, so it's not my fault!" he pushed her back and Hitomi narrowed her eyes. The nerve of him!

She was about to say something very unkind, that she might have regretted when his word cut her off. "Do you actually realize what you did in there!? You fucked up that dude's shoulder!"

Only then did the realization hit her, like being doused with ice-cold water. _Shit, what have I done?_

Immediately the anger inside evaporated and she had to lean on something as her body was going limp, grabbing at the air blindly until she got hold of a bench and sat down on it.

"Oh god..." she whispered.

"Finally got it into your head, eh?" Viktor still scowled at her, tapping the side of his head with pointer and middle-finger and sat down onto the bench beside her.

Hitomi didn't say anything, simply looking around, recognizing the area they were in as the park she was training in the other day.

She had to swallow a lump that was forming in her throat as she went over her actions in the bar. A dislocated shoulder, at least one broken nose and bruised if not broken ribs. And most of her opponents weren't in their right mind due to alcohol and didn't have any fighting experience other than one guy.

If her father was here he would be so disappointed in her, that is if he wasn't already from yesterday. Hitomi looked at her hands, which were clenched into fists and visibly shaking, and she had to force herself to calm down, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

After finally having calmed down she let out a shuddering sigh, utterly disgusted with herself.

She looked over to Viktor, who had finally dropped the angry look, but he wasn't looking at her but straight ahead. "Hey, I really loved those when I was a child."

Hitomi followed his gaze only to land on the swings the children she had seen were playing on. Viktor stood up and went over to them, touching the chains, running his fingers across them, before sitting down on one and beckoning her over.

Not really knowing what to say she went over and sat down on the swing beside him, the chain clattering a little as she did so.

They sat there for a few moments, no words being uttered, and listened to wind.

"So tell me, what happened in there? That was so unlike you." he said and looked at her, his eyes full of concern.

"I...I don't really know myself it's...difficult. Since Leifang left I've been in shambles, I can't sleep right, I try to keep my thoughts occupied with studies to not think about the whole thing, but in the end I come around full circle and still think about her." she explained, looking into the night. "And the whole thing just...stresses me out."

"Yeah I can only imagine, what with the kiss and all. But it was just that, a kiss. You shouldn't let it get to you. I'm not saying that I like that she just took off, kind of a dick move if you ask me, but I'm sure she'll come around." he assured her, giving her a smile and lighted up a cigarette for himself.

"You don't understand. Yesterday I lashed out at one of the students. I couldn't control myself because I felt this anger inside me and afterwards my father and me had a fight." she let out a sigh and when Viktor didn't say anything she continued, trying to explain the mess that were her feelings right now.

"At first I thought I was angry because Leifang didn't let me explain myself. And it became more and more until, well you were there yourself." Hitomi grabbed the chains on each side of her, giving them a hard squeeze with her hands. "Truth is I'm still angry, but not at my father or those guys or even Leifang, okay maybe a little. But no, the one I'm really angry about is..."

She narrowed her eyes. "Myself. Why didn't I realize this earlier? It was all there."

"What?" he asked puzzled.

_Time to come clean. _"I'm attracted to Leifang."

"Huh!?" Viktor's eyes widened in surprise. "Like REALLY attracted to her?"

"Yes, I realized it when I came back from Hong Kong, but I think it started way before that." She watched as he nibbled the end of the cigarette, processing that information.

"So the kiss...?"

"The alcohol, mostly." she let go of the chain, folding her hands in her lap. "But not entirely."

"When Leifang left afterward I just stayed there. I couldn't bring myself to follow her and when I did it was already too late and she was gone. It's that I was too much of a coward to face her that got me, no still gets me angry." she ran her hands through her hair before burying her face in them for a few moments, trying to gather the words to continue. And if she didn't she was afraid she would never say it. "The worst part though is that after she left I wrote E-mail after E-mail that I'm sorry and that it shouldn't have happened, that it was an accident. But it was no accident. Deep inside here," she patted her chest. "I wanted that kiss to happened, I wanted it so bad with every fiber of my being. I was not only lying to my best friend, but also to myself this entire time. This could all have been avoided if I just had accepted my feelings for what they are and not tried to ignore or rationalize them away."

Viktor didn't say anything the whole time, just patiently listening to her, knowing that she needed to say all this. Then he finally spoke up.

"You should tell your father about all this." he said and Hitomi laughed humorlessly.

"Great idea, I'll just go to him tomorrow and say: 'Hey dad, sorry that I beat up one of the rookies, oh yeah by the way I'm attracted to my best friend, who's a girl by the way'." she shook her head. "I...My original plan had been to come out after Leifang had left, but after the kiss I just couldn't bring myself to breach the subject to him."

"Well why not?" Hitomi eyed him warily. "Just apologize to him. And afterward tell him what you just told me. I'm sure he'll understand. You're his daughter and he loves you very much. He's a good man." he said and added quietly. "Unlike my old man. But that's not important."

"I know you're right but I'm just afraid. This is a little more than saying that I have a boyfriend or something." she sighed. "I will go to him tomorrow and then I will come clean one hundred percent."

"Good." he nodded. "So Leifang, huh?"

"Yes." she let out another sigh but this one sounded almost...longingly. That didn't slip his attention.

"So you wanna be with her?"

"I want us to mend our friendship, but," she hesitated thinking about it carefully, her eyes looking at something far away. "Yes."

She said it again. "Yes, if possible I'd like to try it with her. But it doesn't matter, she doesn't reciprocates my feelings, she made that rather clear don't you think?"

"All I know is what I saw, and I saw two girls that were rather into each other in that moment." he said and Hitomi couldn't help but feel a little hopeful; could he be right?

In that moment she made a vow: The day she would see Leifang again she would tell the Chinese her feelings no matter what, she owed them both as much, and would accept whatever Leifang decided to do.

_No running away anymore_ she thought and for the first time felt completely confident and at ease with her emotions.

"Hey," Viktor said and grinned. "The next time, can I take pictures?"

She slapped him on the shoulder, followed by an "Ouch!" that made her laugh for real this time. Afterward they simply sat on the swings looking at the night sky.

"Hey, Viktor?"

"Mhm?"

The Karateka gave him a bright smile. "Thanks. For listening."

Viktor responded with a smile of his own and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Any time Hitomi. What are friends for?" he said, not using her nickname for once.

They grinned at one another and bumped their fists together.

And for the first night since her friend had left Hitomi managed to get a full good night's rest.

* * *

Hitomi stood in front of the front garden, rooted to the spot, carefully thinking about what she would say once she crossed it and rang the doorbell. Yesterday night she had already pictured in her mind what she would tell her father and how, but in the end it was easier said than done, as she was getting more doubtful by the minute on her way to the place she has called home for eighteen years.

It was a nice little house, nothing too fancy but not shabby either; the dojo had provided them with a decent lifestyle. She remembered all the times she played in this very garden.

Her eyes landed on a spot where she had once fallen and scraped her knee. Back then she had started crying immediately, causing her mother to come rushing out of the house to check on her, telling her that it was only a harmless scratch and would be better in no time, then went to get a band-aid and it put it over spot where she had hurt herself even though it wasn't bleeding.

Chuckling she shook her head at the memory. To cry because of something so silly while today she had fought some of the best martial artists in the world and got beaten up pretty badly without even thinking about crying...

The memory brought a small smile to her lips and, taking a deep breath, she opened the little garden door and walked towards the house. Without hesitation she rang the doorbell and waited for her father to open up. It didn't take long.

After opening the door her father folded his arms before his chest, like he always did, and looked at her calmly not betraying any emotion. They looked at each other for what seemed like hours before Hitomi dropped her gaze and spoke up.

"I...I came to apologize." she said. "What I said and did was wrong."

He didn't say anything at first, just looking at her, assessing her words.

"It shouldn't be me you should apologize to." he finally said.

"Yes, and I will apologize to him too." she said bowing her head.

He exhaled deeply and dropped his arms, stepping to the side, and invited her in.

"Sit down in the living room, I'll be right back." he told her and she did just that. Her gaze found the family picture on the mantelpiece, which had been taken when she won a Karate championship long time ago. Dammit she was even wearing braces in it!

Another picture caught her attention. It featured her father, much younger even compared to the family picture, and a group of other young men wearing dress uniforms and saluting towards the camera. It was taken during the time he served in the Bundeswehr.

Her father returned with two glasses, the one filled with orange juice he placed on the table near her, and sat down in his favorite armchair.

"So I'm assuming you're going to tell me what got into you?" he asked her.

And she did. She told him everything, about her sexuality and how she became attracted to Leifang and how it made her a nervous wreck, what had happened on that fateful night between them, that the Chinese had left, that she tried to apologize and then drowned herself in studies just to possibly force it out of her system only to have it bottle up inside her until she lashed out and let it out on a student and hurted other people. As she told him she felt her eyes moistening up.

"But what I'm most afraid of is that I might have ruined my friendship with Leifang." she admitted to him.

"Hmm." he nodded then said. "I don't think I need to tell you that I expected better of you. You are my daughter and at the same time one of my best students. And as a black belt you are considered a weapon,"

"I know..."

"But," he said. "You're clearly beating yourself up about this enough as it is. So why didn't you just tell me that you had problems?"

"I wanted to, believe me!" she said, looking down at her glass. "But I was afraid that you might-"

"Judge you?" he asked and let out a sigh, leaning forward. "I have to admit this is a bit shocking, about you and your friend and...you know. But I won't judge you because of that. I'm your father and I love you. So whatever makes you happy makes me happy and I'm sure your friend will understand if you give her time."

Hitomi looked at her father, her eyes brimming with tears. "Papa..."

When he gave her the smile that he always reserved only for her the dam broke, tears streaming down her cheeks, and she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest.

And as he returned her hug, patting her on the back, she felt that everything was alright again.

* * *

_**Once upon a time I once said: "I always wanted a scene involving heartfelt talking and swings like in those romance anime."  
Here it is, with extra brofist for good meassure.**_

_**Not much to say only that I hope you enjoyed the story thus far and that we'll see us next week.**_


	27. Intermission: Hitomi

**Intermission: Hitomi**

* * *

"See you later!" Hitomi called cheerfully, waving to Mareike and a few other teammates as they parted ways on their way home. The Karateka hummed as she walked the street, looking up at the clouds which had grown dark.

Luckily she had started carrying her umbrella with her all the time ever since she had gotten caught up in the rain.

Smiling she ran a hand through her hair. It would be a lie that everything was back to the way it was, she still needed to do something about what had happened between Leifang and herself. But instead of driving herself mad about it she decided to be patient and wait for the Chinese to contact her.

And if she didn't do so until her next semester break she would book a flight and confront her herself. She owed it to herself and to Leifang.

But for the most part she was getting used to herself and her feelings, and her father as well as Viktor were very supportive and she only felt this little ache inside her heart at night when she was lying in her bed all alone and wondered what Leifang was doing at that very moment.

She was content. Far from happy, but content.

Hitomi checked her watch and sped up her strides a little. There was something on TV that she really wanted to watch. Just when she crossed the street the first raindrop fell, hitting her on the forehead. She pulled out her umbrella, not a second too early as it soon began to pour.

_Hopefully it doesn't rain the whole day_ she thought and rounded the corner that led to her apartment building...

...and halted in her tracks as she spotted a familiar head of dark hair.

"Leifang?"


	28. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

* * *

Leifang closed her eyes as she got out of the plane, lifting her hand to shield them before opening them again and looking over the runway of the Pundong International Airport of Shanghai. She took a deep breath.

_It's been a long time_ she thought.

The Chinese stood there for a moment, deep in revery, when she noticed that she blocked the way for the passengers behind her and continued walking, making her way into the actual Airport building.

Irritation filled her as she had to spend nearly an hour at the various stations before being able to leave and by the time she got onto the magnetic levitation train, that would bring her to the Longyan Road Metro Station, she was seething on the inside.

It was filled to the brim with people, not unlike that one time she was on a Japanese metro tram, and everyone pretty much invaded each other's personal space. Just her luck.

She had this fleeting feeling that the perverted groper she had encountered twice might be on this train as well, gritting her teeth as she felt someone brushing against her butt.

_Stay calm Leifang, no use getting angry. It's not their fault._ She told herself and endured for the rest of the ride.

At the station she got onto the Metro line 9, sitting down in one of the seats, happy that it wasn't full, and leaned her head against the window. The ride to her destination would take a little over an hour and a half, so she had a little time to think.

Her thoughts returned to her friend, to the kiss they shared, making her lips tingle like every time she had done so in the past days.

Might she actually have feelings for her friend that went beyond friendship?

_But how?_ She asked herself. How could she have feelings for her? Wasn't she in love with someone else already?

That's why she was here, to get some help in finding clarity.

Turning her eyes to the left she looked out of the window and felt a small smile form on her lips. She didn't know how much she had missed Shanghai, the place where she was born and raised.

Her name, Leifang, which meant _fragrant flower bud_, was a very popular name here and she remembered going into the same class with another Leifang. Sadly she never had been friends with the girl herself.

Chuckling to herself she wondered what her old friends would think of her right now. She hadn't seen them for a long time now, all of them having parted years ago. In a way it was sad; she remembered how they had promised to be friends forever and ever when they were younger.

_I guess everyone has to move on eventually_ she thought.

Not wanting to think anymore on the topic she pulled out her smart phone to occupy herself with something. Out of sheer habit she opened her E-mail account and found about a dozen messages by Hitomi.

Her eyes widened and she felt her heartbeat quicken. A lump formed in her throat as her gaze locked onto the most recent E-mail, her eyes lingering over it, unsure if she should open it or not. She noticed her hand was shaking slightly.

Shaking her head she pressed the button.

Deleting it. Together with all the others.

_I'm sorry_ she apologized in her mind. Leifang knew what she just did was beyond selfish, but she just couldn't do it. She couldn't read what Hitomi wrote, afraid of what it might contain.

Tears welled up inside her eyes and she closed them to stop the teardrops from spilling. A few minutes passed until she opened her eyes again and looked at her phone, before simply shutting it off and hugging herself as if it could simply make everything bad disappear.

She stayed like that for the rest of the ride.

* * *

The Chinese got off the tram at Qibao Station of the suburb by the same name, which in turn had been named after the Qibao that had once resided in the area. As she walked down the streets she couldn't help but admire the traditional buildings that gave it the name Ancient Town.

She walked for another half hour before she finally found the correct way she had to go. It had been a long time since she had been here after all. She walked directly along the river, then crossed one of the stone bridges, heading directly south.

Her steps slowed down when she saw the small house in the distance, the house that been a second home to her. And hopefully the place that might help her get some clarity.

Making herself walk faster again, her heels clicking louder with every step as a sign of her conviction, she walked into the front yard and, without hesitation, approached the door and knocked.

She waited for a moment until a woman, only a few years older than her opened the door, giving her a confused look for a second before realization dawned upon her face.

"L-Leifang, is that you?" she asked, her voice heavy with the Wu accent of the region.

"Yes it's me, Bao." she said and presented her with the best smile she could force herself to right now. Tan Bao was the housekeeper of her Sifu, whom he had taken in when she was only twelve; that had been fifteen years ago. "You look good."

"And you look beautiful." Bao said awestruck, making her feel slightly embarrassed. Bao herself was a pretty girl, but more on the petite side, being half a head smaller than her. "Ah how rude, why don't you come in? I'm sure you're here to visit Sifu Ning."

Leifang was ushered into the house by the young woman.

"The Sifu is in garden, why don't you go and join him while I prepare some tea for you?" she didn't give her the chance to answer at all, pushing her already into the direction of the garden.

Shaking her head she simply walked into the garden where a tall, slim man stood with his back to her, holding what looked like a cricket bat. He swung it a few times before dropping it to the side.

"Why if it isn't my best student." he said and turned around, giving her one of his pleasant smiles. Cheng Ning was a man in his mid-forties, not that you could tell by his looks. He could be mistaken for a thirty years old man. The result of a healthy lifestyle combined with the devotion to his art.

His face was as slim as the rest of his body, but in a rather handsome way, always clean shaven and his dark hair was always well kept, growing past his neck only by a small margin and being combed back.

The round glasses he wore were new though.

"Please, you are too kind." Leifang said, falling back into her own Wu accent from when she was younger, and placed her right palm over her left fist, bowing in greeting. "It has been a long time."

"That it has." he said and walked over to her, returning her greeting in kind. "But I'm only speaking the truth. You are my best student."

They stood straight up again and looked at each other.

"How have you been? I heard you've been participating in tournaments these past few years." he asked.

"I've been well, and yes I did, though sadly I didn't win the tournaments." the man simply nodded.

"Shall we?" he asked and held out his hand towards the house. The both of them went into the living room, sitting down at the table. Right on cue Bao came in, holding a tray in her hands with two cups of tea, which she placed onto the table.

"Thank you, you're way too kind to me." Sifu Ning said to her and Leifang noticed that the girl flushed before excusing herself. _Interesting_

"You should see her during some other days. Sometimes I feel like I'm some henpecked husband instead of her being my housekeeper." he said jokingly, taking a sip from his tea.

_I get the feeling she wouldn't mind the husband part_ Leifang said in her mind and took a sip herself, savoring the taste.

"So," he said, placing his cup back down. "What brings you here? I'm assuming this isn't just a simple social call. Which really breaks your old Sifu's heart by the way."

Leifang resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the man's joke. He always did that, back when she was still his student there were days where you couldn't get a straight answer out of him.

"I...I've come here because I'm in need of counsel." she said and looked down at her cup.

"Hmm." he made and rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Counsel you say. What for?"

"I think I'm at one of these 'crossroads of life' you told me years ago."

"I see. This wouldn't be a matter of the heart, would it?" Leifang's head shot up, her eyes wide, looking at her Sifu.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"The look in your eyes tells me a lot, I know you very well my girl." he chuckled. "Also you said 'I will defeat him even if it's the last thing I do' so many times that I won't forget it anytime soon."

He propped his chin on the palm of his hand and looked at her. "But it's about more than just this young fellow, isn't it?"

A moment passed between them before Leifang told him everything, about Hitomi, how they had become friends over the years and what had transpired between them not too long ago, how it threw her heart into disarray together with her conflicting feelings for Jann Lee.

He listened to her patiently, his pleasant smile for once having been dropped to show that he was taking what she said seriously.

"I won't pretend that I understand everything, after all I haven't experienced it first hand, but I can tell that your friend Hitomi is very important to you." he rubbed his hands together before folding them on the table. "May I also be so forward: from what you told me it didn't sound like you two were very drunk. Could it be that your friend might've always felt more that friendship? She did start it after all."

"I'm...not sure. I'm not sure of anything anymore." she buried her face in her hands. She then felt them being grasped by her Sifu's and pulled away from her face, making her look into the smiling face of the man.

"Well I can tell you only so much, but that wouldn't be your decision in the end. But remember, everything exists with the Tai Chi. Have you tried to meditate on it during your practice?" he asked.

"Yes, but I can't find my focus."

"Hmm, I understand. Then please join me in the garden. I will help you as much as I can." he told her and got up from his chair, making his way into the garden. Leifang followed him.

"Good, now I don't need to explain it to you but I will guide you through your practice, just focus on yourself, the rest will come on its own." He said and Leifang walked into the middle of the garden.

She stood completely straight, holding out her arms in front of her, closing her eyes as she did so and breathed in and out.

_Parting the wild horse's mane_ she thought and took a step with her right leg, bending her knee keeping her upper body straight, pulling her left arm to her side and lifting her right so that her palm was facing her.

"Not only out of focus," Sifu Ning said and she felt him approach her. "But also got a bit lax. No wonder you lost in that tournament a few months back."

"Sifu!" he slapped her against her lower back, straightening her out more and walked away.

"Better. Now 'White crane spreads its wings'." he told her and she pulled her left leg forward as she straightened her right a bit, angling it a bit so that her heel wasn't touching the ground. She pulled her right arm closer to her so that her palm was almost touching her face, while her left arm was held out in a downward angle, palm open.

At her Sifu's instruction she moved through the other forms, trying to find her focus. Did Hitomi really want to kiss her? Wanted a relationship with her? Was she really that important to the German?

The thought warmed her heart. This was more affection that she had gotten from Jann Lee in those eight years that he occupied her thoughts. And the kiss they had shared, she had responded in kind and could have stopped any time she wanted, but only pushed her away when they were caught.

She...liked it, very much so. But was that really enough? What if it was a mistake?

But the look in Hitomi's eyes, she could see so much in them. Maybe...

Suddenly something that her Sifu once told her came to mind.

She moved into the last stance, standing completely straight with her hands crossed, the palms facing her way and from there brought her hands into her starting position and opened her eyes, new resolve shining in them.

_I have to do it_ she told herself. The least she could do was mending their friendship, but if Hitomi wanted to...if she really wanted to be more than friends, then she would try it with her, even if it wasn't meant to be in the end.

She looked at her Sifu, who gave her a reassuring smile and asked. "You have come to a decision?"

"Yes," she nodded and bowed to him. "Thank you for helping me."

"Please, I only guided you. The one that helped you was yourself."

She shook her head. "No. You did help me. Years ago you once told me if something in the past seems to be unattainable one should focus on the options of the future."

"Ah, did I now?" his smile widened. "Then I'm happy to be of assistance. What will you do now?"

Leifang closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them again. "I will look forward to the future. But before that I need to resolve something else."

Cheng Ning laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "I'm sure you're eager to do what you must do, but would you do me the honor of staying a little longer? I'd like to catch up a little more."

Leifang gave him her first real smile of the day. "I'd love to." she said.

"Splendid!" he exclaimed, leading her back into the house. "Then we can watch Strike of the Atomic Cobra together. Recently I've been besotted with old american martial arts movies."

The Chinese chuckled and gave her Sifu a strange look.

* * *

_**And now for something completely different it's Leifang time!**_

_**Her Sifu's a pretty cool guy, eh?**_

_**These next few chapters will focus on her side of things, so stay tuned.**_

_**Oh and for that certain someone asking about a Chun-Li x Cammy story, I'm afraid while I do know a bit about Steet Fighter it's probably not enough for me to make a decent story about these two.**_

_**Well see you next week!**_


	29. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

* * *

Two children passed her as she walked through the streets of Shanghai, her hands loosely folded behind her back. After staying with her Sifu the whole day, and spending the night at his house, she left at early midday, opting to go on foot and see what had changed in the years she had been away.

_Nothing, really_ she thought to herself looking left and right. It was one of the less nice places in the city, at least at night when the less desirable parts of the population made their appearance.

But she had to go through here if she wanted to reach her destination, which was one of the more famous clubs of Shanghai, now more so since a certain tournament champion was working there as a bouncer.

Though she hadn't even known that Jann Lee was working there at all until now. And a reliable source of gossip, namely Bao, told her that he would be working from early evening.

He really became famous it seemed. She had to chuckle at that; he must hate all the attention.

The club was located at Pudong near the Huangpu river. It would have been easier if she just took the tram, but this area held a special place in her memories.

Stopping near an alley she turned her gaze right, looking into it. It was here. Eight years ago when she had passed through here and some sleazy gangsters tried to kidnap her and ransom her to her father. They would have been successful if not for the young man that came to her rescue.

Oh, she had been grateful to him inwardly, even though on the outside she was furious at him, throwing insults at him for his brave action and telling him that she could have handled them on her own. He had only scowled at her, saying that he didn't do it for her and simply walked away, infuriating her even more.

But that was Jann Lee for you, brushing her off even then, though to her he was only called _Gi_ at the time.

_Has it really been so long?_ She wondered. God, she had been only thirteen at the time, full of temperament and eager to prove herself. In a way she owed him a lot. Without him she would have never become the martial artist she was today.

She wouldn't have found the motivation to train without him, nor met her Sifu who had been like a second father to her, even though he had put her through a training that could have been right out of hell.

And without him she wouldn't have made friends with Hitomi.

She could never forget that, would never forget that. It had as much a part inside her heart as the art in her life.

But it was in the past, and she knew now that she could never get closer to him than she currently was, not if she didn't change the person that he was and that was something she wouldn't force upon him.

So it would be better if she ended it today, so that she could move forward.

The two children that had passed her came running back, circling her for a moment before running along, causing the Chinese to smile.

She looked at her watch, checking the time and found herself in the mood for a quick snack. Now that she remembered there was a restaurant in the mall that served some of the best xiaolong bao, pork and crab dumplings, in the whole city. And luckily it was in the direction she was heading into.

With a nod she quickened her pace, already tasting them on her tongue.

* * *

Leifang took another bite from the last dumpling of the four she had ordered. Oh god did she miss those, you couldn't get these in Hong Kong, they always got them wrong.

The only one that made them exactly right was her mother, but since she moved into her own place she didn't get to eat her mother's food as much.

But her mother's cooking couldn't compare to Hitomi's. Leifang's thoughts turned to her friend immediately. She hoped she was doing ok. God how much she wanted to talk to her right now, but she still needed to do this one thing.

_This'll be over soon Hitomi. Just a little longer._ She thought.

Her eyes moved across the faces of various celebrities drawn on the walls, finally stopping up the clock on the wall.

Noticing the time she put the last bit of the dumpling into her mouth and went to pay up before quickly leaving the mall, making her way towards the river.

When she arrived she walked across the shoreline, looking across the water at The Bund, the waterfront area that housed some of the most important buildings of the whole city.

_It should be around here_ she came to a halt and looked upon the club she was seeking. It had a rather old-fashioned look, reminiscing of the late thirties, but undoubtedly high-class. Luckily for her she had traveled to Shanghai in one of her best Cheongsam that she owned, so it shouldn't be a problem to get in.

She walked confidently towards the two suit wearing bouncers in front of the entrance, who had just waved in a couple. Leifang had this sneaking feeling she read about them in the newspapers once, stopping in front of one.

He gave her a once over, obviously checking her out.

"I'm here to speak with Jann Lee." she told him.

The man clicked his tongue and looked at his colleague, who just shrugged, then looked back at her. "You and half the city's female population, lady. Well, go right in, he's in the lounge. Lucky bastard." he muttered the last part, opening the door for her as he stepped aside.

The interior looked very much like what the outside was promising, a tribute to the golden days of Shanghai, and by the way it was filled with guests it seemed that nostalgia like that was in high demand.

She walked towards the lounge, looking at all the people. Some were local celebrities she recognized from way back, others she didn't recognize.

Leifang stopped in the doorway. There he was, wearing a suit that complimented his tall and broad stature, his hair styled in its usual way.

And of course he had that perpetual scowl on his face. She made her way towards him, just when he was turning around to look if something was amiss in the other direction.

"Hey." she spoke up, coming to a halt next to him.

"Not another one." she could hear him mutter but then saw his eyes widen for the fraction of a second before returning to his usual hard look. "Oh it's you. What do you want?"

Leifang simply looked at him, not saying anything. The words that she had wanted to say to him having left her in this very moment.

This was the man that had rescued her without wanting something to return, the man that had ridiculed and humiliated her countless times, the man she had to be in love with.

Waiting a moment for a to reply he smirked at her. "Ah I see. I'm still on duty for while, so you can hang out wherever. If you want a drink just tell 'em to put it on my tab."

He passed by her to walk towards a man that was becoming a bit too grabby for the lady he was talking to. "I'll come and get you when my shift's over."

The Chinese couldn't help but grit her teeth, angry with herself. Why didn't she say anything?

Seething internally she walked toward the bar, ordering something to drink, but nothing too strong. She needed to be sober for this.

* * *

After hours of just sitting there, brushing off various flirtations and watching Jann Lee do his job, which was more standing around and showing presence than actually beating up people, he made his way over to her.

"Let's take this out in the back." he said and led the way. Leifang followed him as they left the club, entering a side alley. "Yeah this should work."

He pulled of his jacket and threw it on one of the trash bins, turning towards her and getting in position. "Now this time stay focused." he said, smirking and brushing his thumb across his nose.

Leifang simply stood there, staring at him. This was the extent of their relationship, nothing less and nothing more, as much as she had wished it otherwise. It was her fault for not being honest with herself much earlier.

That would change today.

When she didn't change into her own stance his scowl deepened and he stood up straight again. "What is it? If you aren't here to fight then stop wasting my time!"

He grabbed his jacket, putting it on again and was about to walk past her, leaving her there.

_Now or never!_ she thought. "Wait!"

He stopped and turned his head towards her, simply looking. Leifang noticed that her hands had balled into fist and were shaking. Forcing herself to calm down she turned towards him, looking him directly into the eyes. "I came here to...talk."

"Talk?" he asked. "Tch, not interested."

He made to leave again when Leifang simply grabbed him by the arm. He whirled around angrily, wrestling his arm free and threw a quick punch towards her. She didn't dodge.

His fist stopped a hair breadth away from her face. They stood there for several moments, staring at one another, eyes hard like steel. Then, out of nowhere, he dropped his fist.

"Alright, let's talk." he conceded.

"Could we go somewhere else, please?"

He simply nodded and led her to his car.

* * *

_**A little reminiscing on Leifang's part and *gasp* Jann Lee!**_

_**I'm actually not very satisfied with this chapter and since I'm ahead of my schedule I can afford to be a little generous, so...**_

_**Nothing to see here, move on to the next one!**_


	30. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

* * *

Neither of the two said anything as they drove in silence. Leifang settled for looking out of the window, trying to gather her thoughts. She glanced over to Jann Lee who stared simply ahead, keeping his eyes on the road.

It was a...nice car. Not expensive looking, but not cheap either. It suited him.

She found herself wondering if he bought it with the money he made in the tournament.

Turning her gaze back out of the window she watched the streets pass by, not recognizing the part of they city they were driving into, only knowing that they were heading south.

Unconsciously she turned on the radio, just to have something fill out the silence, giving the young man a shrug of her shoulders as he shot a look at her.

They continued on that way until Jann Lee stopped the car in front of a five story apartment building, turning the car to drive into the garage. After getting out of the car he lead her to the elevator, which they rode up, then into his apartment.

"You want something to drink?" he asked, throwing his jacket onto the sofa in the middle of what she supposed was the living room.

"No, thank you." she said and looked around the apartment. It was neater than she thought, at first glance.

"Suit yourself." he said and grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured himself a drink. Leifang looked around more, finding a room about as large as the living room full of training equipment, a punching bag amongst others things. Was it just her imagination or was there a picture of that DOATEC oil rig worker on it?

Looking further she also found a trumpet lying around.

"So what did you want to talk about?" he sat down on the sofa and Leifang did so as well. He took a sip of his drink when Leifang finally said what she wanted to say.

"I loved you, you know?" his answer to that was simply spitting out the drink he just took, coughing and wiping his lips with the back of his right hand.

"The hell? Where did that come from?!" he asked throwing her a glare, but she continued unfazed.

"Back when you rescued me those years ago I was furious, but I was also glad that you helped me, sorry if I never came out and just said that, and from that day on I just wanted to surpass you. But over time I realized that I wanted to not only defeat you, but to become a part of your world," she looked at him. "To be with you."

Jann Lee could only look at her strangely, obviously not knowing what to say or do right now.

"But not anymore. I've realized that this thing," she waved her hand between them. "Will never go beyond what we already are. So I decided that it would be better to find some closure on the matter and...move on."

For a moment none of them said anything until he broke the silence, clearing his throat. "I really don't know what to say. But it's good that you want to stop hassl-I mean move on." he put the glass on the table standing beside the sofa. "Why the change of heart though?"

"Hitomi and I kissed each other." she said simply.

Jann Lee blinked at her. "Come again?"

She repeated what she said.

"Wow." he said, crossing his arms and looking straight ahead. "Good for you? So you're together now or what?"

"No we aren't. I'm still thinking of what I should do. I want to remain friends first and foremost, but if she wants to try it out then I'd like that too." It felt kind of weird, opening up to him like that. But in a way he was one of the few people she could talk to about it. Because for better or worse he wouldn't judge her because of something so trivial as sexuality.

"So you want to leave the choice completely to her and just simply go with it either way? Is that what you're saying?"

"I told you I'm not-"

"Not sure, yeah yeah," he shook his head. "Can't believe I'm actually having this talk at all, and with you of all people."

She glared at him and he simply went on. "The way you're going it sounds like you're too afraid to make a real choice here. You don't realize that this is a do or die choice, right? Either you commit to something fully or you might not at all."

"I..." she put her head in her hands. "I don't even know how she really feels about all this. It could have just been a mistake, a mistake that opened my eyes, but a mistake none the less. And what if I choose wrong and our friendship will be forever ruined?!"

"Goddammit you still sound like that spoiled brat from eight years ago." he muttered and got up, pacing around the room. "So if she wants to, you say 'Ok, sounds like fun!' and then you shag up for a while until she notices that you're only in it half-assed and then what?"

He turned to her. "Tch. You even lack the focus in things like this."

Leifang turned her gaze down. This had been so much more simple in her mind. She simply had wanted to say her piece and move on, but now he was filling her with doubt about her other decision regarding her friend. And the worst thing was that it was true, the way things were it would have only been Hitomi's choice but not hers.

Did she actually WANT this, or would it only be the more comfortable choice?

Closing her eyes she saw the smiling face of her friend, making her heart skip a beat. She couldn't deny that she saw the German differently now. More passionately. And the thought of her left her lips all tingly.

Would she actually be able to kiss her under normal conditions? She wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

But did she want to be with her?

REALLY with her?

"No wonder you lost in all those years." Jann Lee's words cut deep inside her, making her grit her teeth and wanting to beat him up. But they also made her open her eyes.

She missed Hitomi so much, as a friend and, she realized, as more than that. She could see herself with her in all those things that couples did, maybe not right now, but if Hitomi was patient with her...

Leifang turned her gaze towards Jann Lee, glaring as she stood up. "Fight me."

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fight me one last time. I'll show you my focus!"

He simply smirked at her. "Now you're talking."

She would defeat him and after that her new life would start, together with Hitomi.

* * *

They stood in the middle of the training room, far away from the equipment. Jann Lee had pulled off his shirt and tie, leaving his toned upper body free.

Months ago it would have excited her to see him that way. Not anymore.

Both of them did some warm up katas before facing each other. Jann Lee's face was a mask of control, simply scowling at her and not giving away anything. But she had fought him enough times to know a few things about him, that he was actually looking forward to this.

After completing her final kata she moved into position, standing sideways while facing him, moving her arms in graceful, slow motions.

"Are you ready to lose?" she asked simply, to which Jann Lee only answered by moving towards her. He aimed three quick punches at her face and Leifang moved her arms to block each of them, but was caught off guard by the fourth, much more forceful punch hitting her against the chest, throwing her back.

Momentarily caught off guard she ground her heels into the floor to come to a halt. The young man simply moved towards her in his dance like movements, always changing his position so that he wouldn't become easy prey to a counter attack by her.

She watched his movements as he came towards her and was prepared when he took a jump at her, bringing his fist down towards her head. Dodging to the side she grabbed his arm as he missed her, twisting it and pushing him back, leaving him open for her attack.

She slammed the back of her left hand against his chest, used his distraction to smack her right fist across his face and immediately changed the direction, using the force to push the palm against his face, making stumble a bit.

Not stopping she grabbed his arm, pulled him forward a little so that he was completely open and did a cartwheel backwards, hitting him with her heels directly in the face, launching him in the air.

She watched as he landed hard on the floor, but she knew he was okay. He was made of sturdier stuff. He got up again almost immediately, wiping the back of his hand across his lips.

"Now this is what I'm talking about." he dashed at her and kicked out his leg towards her three times, which she dodged every time, her arms moving fluidly with every move she did, and calmly ducked under his next punch driving her fist into his gut.

Jann Lee remained unfazed though, pushed her arm away and punched his fist into her gut in turn, knocking her to the ground where she slid back backwards a bit. She managed to roll to the side just in time as his right foot was coming down directly towards her face.

She quickly got to her knees and pushed forward, slamming right into him with her whole body, forcing him on the floor, and used the momentum to roll herself over him, landing on her feet, standing up straight.

Moving backward she tried to put some space between them. She dashed forward when he struggled to his feet, kicking out her left leg to hit him directly in the face and turned around in the same motion, swinging her other leg in a high arc down upon him. But before she could land a strike he had grabbed her ankle and kicked out her left leg from under her, striking her with his knee into the face as she fell.

Leifang felt herself being lifted up by her arm and placed back onto her feet. A flurry of punches struck her in the chest, pushing her back a little and when the punches stopped Jann Lee kicked her hard against the temple.

Something warm ran down her lips. Lifting her hand to it she saw that it was blood.

She sniffed once, trying to stop the blood from dripping out of her nose and narrowed her eyes, watching the bouncer. Clenching her fists she took a deep breath calming herself, letting the teaching of Tai Chi guide her, and waited for his next move.

She didn't have to wait long.

He charged at her, feigning a high kick but aimed it downward quickly.

But she was quicker. Before his foot could hit her she threw her fist forward in a quick jab directly into his abdomen. Then she grabbed his left arm, lifted it high and pushed her right heel against his torso. Letting go of his arm she struck him into the chest with her left palm.

Leifang left him no time to recover, punched him hard in the chest, grabbed his arm again and moved behind him so that they were back to back, slamming her elbow against him. She then kneeled slightly and used all of her strength to push him away with her shoulder.

Jann Lee got up from the floor, breathing heavily. As soon as he was back on his feet he started closing in on her, always staying in motion, moving from side to side.

And she remained where she was, simply watching.

Her arms moved up when his strike came, deflecting the blow and pushing his fist to the side. She did the same with the next jab, and with the kick he aimed at her mid section.

Leifang was about to strike back when Jann Lee suddenly jumped back, moving around her again. Her gaze fell on his feet, the way he moved. Her thoughts turned back to the finale of the tournament, his fight against Hitomi. He had done the same before...

With a gasp she barely managed to prepare herself as Jann Lee jumped towards her with his fierce air kick that had managed to beat Hitomi. Everything seemed to slow down for the Chinese as she dashed forward, straight ahead towards the man, ducking a little and lifting her arms, catching him right out of the air and throwing him back first into the ground.

Letting go she quickly moved to the side and lifted her right leg into a perfect 90° angle before swinging her foot downward like a hammer, striking Jann Lee into the stomach.

He didn't get up again, only lying there, breathing hard. After a few moments he lifted himself up onto his elbows.

"Good show," he said hoarsely. "You win. This time."

Leifang moved out of her fighting position, standing straight and placed her palm over her fist, bowing to him before turning on her heel and starting to walk towards the door.

"Hey," he called after her. "Never lose that focus, then you can manage anything. Give Hitomi my regards when you see her."

Leifang couldn't help the smile that came to her lips, which had to look weird with the blood running down her nose, and simply nodded. Jann Lee let himself simply slump back to the floor.

After closing the apartment door behind her she leaned with the back against it. She couldn't stop the two tears that were running down her face. "Good bye." she whispered.

After a few more moments of remaining like this she headed out of the apartment, wiping away the blood with her fingers and pulled out her cellphone.

She quickly picked the number she wanted to call and held it against her ear.

"Yes, it's me." she said after the other person picked up. "Yes, I know how late it is, Mother. Could you please get father?"

She walked down the streets, hailing a cab. "To the airport." she told him.

"I've made a decision." she told her mother on the other line.

She had made her choice and her heart didn't tell her that it was wrong.

And if she wasn't wrong, then she had to be right.

* * *

_**Have I ever told you guys that I seriously SUCK playing Leifang and Jann Lee. Shows pretty well I think. Gotta make that up with a better fight scene down the road.**_

_**But to the important part: Having Leifang gain some kind of closure with him was the obvious thing to do and since their relationship was always based on fighting it made sense for them to have one final fight. But hey, who knew that you could have a heart to heart with the guy?**_

_**Well, that's it for this week. See you around. :)**_


	31. Intermission: Leifang

**Intermission: Leifang**

* * *

_Nothing has changed_ she mused as she walked the streets and felt rather silly even thinking that there would have been changes. It had only been...a little over a month now?

Longer than Leifang would have liked, but it was necessary. Hopefully Hitomi would understand. Her gaze turned upwards to the clouds, which were starting to become rather grey, but she found that she didn't really care at all.

Her mind wandered back to the talk she had with her father.

"You don't know how happy that is making your mother," her father had said to her. "But are you sure you want that?"

"Yes." she had said firmly.

Jintao nodded and picked up his phone. "Very well, I will make the preparations, and you should do so as well. Have you found a tutor? If not I can recommend you one."

"That would be nice, father." And with that it was a done deal.

Now she was here, walking the streets to the apartment where her friend was living, ready to reconcile with her and, if possible, become more than friends.

Her face flushed slightly at the prospect. To her shame it would be her first real romantic relationship.

She would need a bit of time to get accustomed to it all.

Hopefully Hitomi would understand. She wanted this, but she wanted it slowly.

The Chinese came to a halt in front of the building where Hitomi lived and looked up at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. She noticed faintly that it was starting to rain, but simply stood there, looking.

The rain was starting to soak her when suddenly she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Leifang?"

The Chinese turned her gaze towards the voice.

"Hitomi..."


	32. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

* * *

Hitomi simply stood there, looking straight ahead at the Chinese standing there in the middle of the rain. She had wished, hoped that she would see her again, but now that she was here she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Her eyes focused solely on her, unconsciously running over her body, taking in everything. She was wearing her blue blazer over a white shirt that was starting to turn transparent due to the rain. Under the hem of the shirt she could make out her black shorts that revealed so much of her well shaped legs that had been haunting her fantasies these past weeks.

The Karateka turned her gaze upward and found herself breathless. Her hair was completely undone, flowing freely down her back, soaking wet. The rain caused small droplets of water run down her face and Hitomi found herself following a particular one that passed her lips.

She could see the lips of her friend form the word "Hitomi..." and tore her eyes away from them, else she might be overtaken by the urge to touch them with her own.

Blue eyes met dark brown ones and she knew that it wasn't her imagination, knew that those beautiful eyes, shining with silent tears, were the real deal.

Slowly she took a step forward, then another one, walking towards the other girl in small steps, her eyes never breaking contact.

_God, she's so beautiful_ she thought as she moved closer. She felt something wet hit her face but didn't pay it any mind. The only thing that mattered was Leifang.

Leifang was here. Her heartbeat went faster with every step she took and she felt it skip a beat when the Chinese started to walk towards her as well.

As they reached each other Hitomi noticed that she was getting considerably soaked and realized that she had dropped her umbrella along the way. She didn't really give a damn though as she found herself drowning in those eyes.

They stopped in front of each other and simply stood there, just looking at each other and the German had to think back to their good bye in Hong Kong where neither of them could get themselves to say something either.

In truth Hitomi had wanted to give Leifang a little piece of her mind for leaving just like that, but now that she was actually facing her she just couldn't do it.

Everything inside her body just wanted to grab and kiss her silly. But she couldn't else she might scare her away once more, so she simply stood there, only looking at her friend, hoping for any sign that she was allowed to touch her, her own eyes brimming with silent tears now.

"Hitomi." she heard Leifang say in an almost whisper. They looked at each other for the longest time and then Hitomi took one last step forward and hugged her to herself. She was wet and cold, but when she rested her head on her shoulder it didn't matter.

She held her breath until she felt her friend's arms circle slowly around her and let out a sigh of relief, breathing in the flowery perfume that the Chinese was wearing.

God, it only became clear to her now how much she had actually missed her. They remained that way for...she didn't know nor did she care for how long.

Eventually they let go of each other, looking at one another. It was Leifang who broke eye contact first, dropping her gaze to the ground.

"I'm sorry..." she said, not being able to stop the tears now. Hitomi placed her right hand gently on the taller girl's cheek, brushing away the tears. She touched Leifang's forehead with her own, their noses brushing against each other.

She could feel her breath against her skin and Hitomi had to do all she could not to capture her friend's lips with her own. Instead she gave her friend a smile.

"It's alright. I'm sorry too."

"But I've just run off an-"

"Shh." Hitomi shushed her, placing her index-finger over Leifang's lips. She needed to say this. "I said it's alright. I won't lie to you; it hurt when you just up and left. But I'm also to blame for not having gone after you, for not explaining myself."

She let out a sigh. "I...would've probably lied at the moment anyways. So let's put this behind us, ok? I forgive you. Do you...do you forgive me?" she asked and felt very insecure all of a sudden.

"There's nothing to forgive." Leifang said. Hitomi let out another sigh of relief and stepped away from the Chinese, sliding her hand down to grasp one of her.

"But listen. What happened that night." now came the part she was half-dreading. "It wasn't an accident caused by alcohol. Ever since Hong Kong I wanted to do that, but I was too afraid of admitting it to myself." She shook her head. "Not anymore."

"I want you to know that I'll always be your friend, no matter what. But I also want us to be more. I know this is weird and I've never dated another girl in my whole life." She grasped her other hand as well, holding each between the two of them and gave them a little squeeze. "But I want to try it with you. I want us to be together."

She watched Leifang as she swallowed hard. The Chinese looked down to their hands and Hitomi already prepared herself for being shot down.

"Just let me down ea-" but she was interrupted by Leifang saying: "I want that too."

Hitomi blinked once. Did she just hear right?

"I want to try it with you too." Leifang repeated and gave her a shy smile. The Karateka felt blood rush into her cheeks, then a grin split her face and she hugged Leifang again, even more enthusiastically now, which Leifang returned laughing that beautiful laugh of hers.

"I – oh wow – you don't know how happy I am right now." Hitomi told her as she backed up a little, still having her arms around the other girl's waist.

The smile that Leifang presented her with was absolutely brilliant. "I think I do know. And I don't want to destroy this moment but I think we should go in, or else we'll both end up getting sick and then we have nobody to look after us."

Hitomi chuckled. "Yeah, just let me get my Umbrella."

She pretty much jumped the way to her umbrella and back, then walked let them both in. As they passed the mailbox she made a mental note of checking it later.

* * *

Hitomi sat on her sofa, watching the raindrops fall against the window and simply listened to the sound of the shower in the background. She herself had only opted to dry herself and get rid of the wet clothes, putting on some simple jogging clothes.

She fingered the can in her hand absentmindedly, smiling all the while and generally feeling really good right now, like she was walking on clouds.

She had told her friend how she felt and she had responded in kind.

Her smile turned into a silly grin. She knew she was a little overeager but it felt damn good to be in a relationship again, even if it was only a few minutes old.

She heard the water stop and straightened herself, placing the can on the table, brushing off some imaginary dust from the sofa. Soon after the door opened and Leifang stepped out of the bath, clad in that fuzzy, pink bathrobe that the German never used, hair still damp from the shower.

"Hey." she greeted her.

"Hey." Leifang said as she walked around the sofa, sitting down beside the German. Hitomi could only stare at her, smiling the whole time and the other girl started to shift under her gaze, giving her a nervous smile in return.

"What is it?" she asked her and Hitomi only shook her head.

"Nothing." she answered and, not knowing what to say, grabbed the can. "Are you thirsty?"

The Karateka didn't wait for a reply and simply handed the drink over to her friend...no, girlfriend now.

"Uh thanks, but I'm not really thirsty." she said and put it back onto the table. An uneasy silence settled around them, and Hitomi found herself struggling for anything to say. But the she realized something.

"So," she started, rubbing her hands along her pants. "How do we, make this work. You and me I mean. We're not living in the same country after all and, I-I mean I've got no problem with being in a long distance relationship and-damn why can't this be easy?"

She stopped her rambling when Leifang grasped one of her hands, interlacing their fingers slowly, which made her calm down immediately.

"And here I thought that you would ask me why I didn't come back earlier." the Chinese said, looking up from their joined hands right into her eyes. "I'm really sorry, no please let me say this." she added when Hitomi was about to say something.

Leifang said nothing for a moment and Hitomi just sat there patiently, finding herself brushing her thumb across the skin of her girlfriend's hand, caressing it slowly.

"I needed to think, about the kiss and about what it would mean for me, for you and for us. There was also my history with _him_." she explained. "During those few weeks I just tried to gather my thoughts and when I couldn't do that I traveled all the way to Shanghai to meet with my Sifu."

A small smile came to her face. "He helped me with making a decision. Not only in regards of us, but also about something else that I've neglected for so long now, but I will get to that soon. After having made my decision I made my peace with the past and decided to look to the future." she blushed slightly. "With you."

The Karateka felt her face heat up and she knew that she was blushing bright crimson as well. "And what happened then?"

"I met with my father, and had to make some preparations that took until a few days ago. Most importantly..."

Leifang leaned slightly towards Hitomi, her smile growing wider. 'Had to learn German basics.' she said in rather heavy accented German. The German could only gape at her, and suspected that she gave a very good goldfish performance.

"You see: I've decided to start studying again and I'll do it here. The paperwork is all done and I got a place of my own not far from the university, in fact I moved right in yesterday when I arrived. A present from my father, or so he told me, for my _mature decision_." Leifang shrugged. "So starting next week I'm an official student at the Albert Ludwigs University."

Oh god, Hitomi could kiss her!

"That's, wow I don't know what to say." she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and licked her lips absentmindedly. "So you're staying here?"

Leifang nodded.

Hitomi gathered her in another tight hug, and, upon letting go, found herself face to face with the Chinese. She swallowed hard and leaned forward slowly, closing her eyes as she did so. Their lips were only a hair's breadth apart when Leifang suddenly pulled away, causing her to open her eyes again and look at her in confusion.

"Sorry...I'm still new at this, and I know it's silly since we already kissed once, but I might need a bit more time to grow comfortable with this." Leifang said casting her eyes downward. The brunette simply leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"It's fine, let's take it slow then." Hitomi smiled. "Your German is pretty good by the way."

"No it's not." Leifang shook her head.

"But it is, considering you only had about a month you sound fine."

"Well I still have my problems, especially when it comes to reading and the grammar, but I guess now it comes in handy that I have a talent for languages."

"Well if you want I can give you some pointers." Hitomi said and caught herself doing so in a rather flirty voice.

"Oh is that so?" Leifang raised an amused eyebrow.

"Mhm. No better way to learn a language than by having someone that speaks it naturally help you."

"Well it's not math so you'd actually make a good tutor." Both of them burst into laughter and Hitomi noticed that she hadn't laughed like that, completely carefree, since Leifang had left six weeks ago.

After calming down Hitomi noticed Leifang stifling a yawn and asked if she was tired.

"Yes, a little bit. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Want to lie down for bit?" Hitomi offered her.

"That would be nice. But only for an hour. I want to spend some more time with you today."

"Just use my bed, I changed the sheets earlier this morning so it's fine. And I won't take no for an answer. In the meantime I'll make us something to eat." Hitomi said and practically shoved her into the bedroom.

"Alright, alright." Leifang conceded "Not a day has passed and I'm already bossed around."

Hitomi simply stuck out her tongue and closed the door. She was just heading into the kitchen when the mail box came back to mind. She had wanted to check it after all.

_Oh well_ she shrugged, put on some slippers and made her way downstairs. As she opened the box a few letter came falling out. Gathering them up she locked the box back shut and walked up the stairs, looking at the envelopes.

_Advertising, advertising, oh and another one._ She thought, making a mental note of buying one of those stickers that said _"No advertisement here"_ when suddenly another envelope caught her eye. "Huh?"

Using her key to open it she read its content.

"What the-!?" she stopped herself and read it again.

_Police notice_

_Ms. Hitomi Buchfink_

_You are hereby asked to make your testimony in regards of the investigation against you, on the terms of assault, in two weeks time starting from the day this letter was delivered._

She didn't bother to read all the technical jargon that followed suit again, folded up the letter and blankly stared at the wall.

_Oh shit._

* * *

_**Muahahaha. I bet you were thinking they'd suck face here, and here I go and have Leifang want to test the waters first. Go on, call me evil!  
Your hatred only makes me more powerful!**_

_**But fun stuff aside, don't you worry they'll come along eventually. As for what Anonimiss mention I already have some stuff written up and among that, my dear Logan, is their first time. Though your suggestion will make it's way into my notes.**_

_**Now the question is: Are you patient enough dudes (dudettes) to see it through?**_

_**And oh my god, am I glad to have the language barrier broken now. No need to jump around languages anymore.  
**_  
_**Heh, well until next week. See ya.**_


	33. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

* * *

Hitomi could only stare at the letter laying before her on the table, re-reading it for the hundredth time but the words had already become a blur in her mind long ago.

She had, as Viktor would say, majorly fucked up. This could only be about the incident weeks ago in the bar; she should have known that there would be more serious repercussions for this than her simply feeling guilty about the whole thing.

_Just my luck_ she said in her mind. Just when things started to be looking up between Leifang and herself something like that had to rear its head and had to put a spoke in her wheel.

She cast her gaze to the door of the bedroom where the Chinese was still sleeping. How would she react to this?

Without really thinking about it she grabbed the letter and folded it up, walked to her coat hanger and put it into the right pocket. It would probably be better if her new girlfriend didn't know she was sued by some guys she beat up a while ago, because she was pretty pissed off, because said girlfriend had turned tail and left her to deal with the aftermath alone.

...Yeah it would _really_ be better if she didn't know about that.

Hitomi turned around, once again looking at the door. She would love to simply crawl into bed with her girlfriend and forget about all this, but she would need to talk with her family lawyer.

She was just thinking about leaving a note when the doorbell rang. Opening the door it revealed Viktor standing there, holding a letter.

"You got that too?" he asked and simply walked past her into the living room.

"Sure, why don't you come in?" Hitomi asked dryly, closing the door and following him.

"Yeah, sorry. So did you get mail from the police too?" he asked and slapped the letter he was holding with the back of his left hand. "Because I got asked to _'Give a testimony regarding _your_ lawsuit'_.

"Yes. I did." she said.

"So what's the plan?" he asked.

"There's no plan."

He frowned at her. "What? You gonna stand for that bullshit? Those guys were drunk."

"Doesn't change the fact that I _fucked them up_ like you would say. The only thing I can do is admit the crime and state everything truthfully. The same applies to you."

"Fine. Have it your way then, but I still call bullshit on it. So what are you gonna do next?" he asked and reflexively pulled out his pack of cigarettes but a glare from Hitomi made him put it away again.

"I'm going to meet with my lawyer and see what he can do."

"Hmm."

That was when the bedroom door opened, revealing Leifang, her hair completely out of place. She stifled a yawn and rubbed the sleep out of her left eye. "Hitomi? What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Hitomi said quickly and elbowed Viktor.

"Hey." he greeted the Chinese, then turned to Hitomi, putting an arm around her shoulder and leading her into the kitchen while saying. "Hit-girl can I just talk with you in private?"

As soon as they entered the kitchen he switched to German. "When the hell did she get back?!"

"She's back since yesterday but I only met her today about," she looked at the clock on the wall. "Two hours ago."

"Two hou- So she's back, great. And now?" he asked, still bewildered.

"Well we're together now." Hitomi said simply and wasn't able to keep a smile off her face. She watched Viktor raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"Together?"

"Yeah."

"Just like that?"

"Mhm." Hitomi nodded. "And the best part: she's gonna study abroad in Germany. She even improved her German over the last month!"

"That's...great" Viktor said, not sounding very excited, but Hitomi didn't take notice of it, being far too happy about the whole situation.

"Yes isn't it?" she looked at the clock again. "Damn I should make a call."

Hitomi walked back into the living room, over to the phone and dialed the number of her lawyer.

"Yes, Hitomi Buchfink speaking. Could I please speak with Mr. Löwinger. It's urgent."

* * *

Leifang watched as Hitomi spoke with someone on the phone adamantly, not knowing what it was about since she only understood a few snippets here and there. Maybe it had something to do with what the two were talking about in the kitchen?

Her eyes turned to Viktor, who simply stood there leaning against the wall. The Chinese walked over to him.

"What's the matter?" He just remained standing there, staring into the air, looking at nothing.

"What's the matter?" she asked again and this time she got a reaction out of him as his gaze turned to her.

"Ah. Really it's nothing, I just reminded her of an appointment is all. She's been a bit...forgetful these past days." he told her, but Leifang felt that there was something he didn't tell her.

She was just about to press further when Hitomi ended her call.

"Alrighty." the Karateka said and walked into the bedroom to change into a more presentable outfit, then walked towards her.

"I'm gonna head out for a few hours, just make yourself at home." she told her and gave her a smile that almost looked as if it was to reassure her. Hitomi leaned up a little and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Bye."

"Bye." Leifang responded and watched Hitomi leaving the apartment to wherever she had to go. That left her alone with Viktor, who was simply standing beside her, looking a bit out of place now.

"Nothing you say, really?" she asked him.

"Yeah, really." he said, shifting in place. Leifang narrowed her eyes. Now she was sure he was keeping something from her.

"You're lying."

"Wha-? Bullshit!" he exclaimed and narrowed his eyes as well. "Why the hell would I lie?"

"I don't know. I just know you did."

"Ok listen here, girly. Just because you finally decided to drag your ass back here and become her girlfriend now doesn't mean everything's your business. So back off, alright?" He started to walk away but Leifang slipped in front of him and placed her palms against the wall on each side of him, trapping him.

"So there IS something." she deduced. The Chinese looked straight into the young man's eyes.

"Let. Me. Go." Viktor said, gritting his teeth.

"Only if you tell me what's going on."

"How about you ask your precious girlfriend what's going on?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leifang felt herself getting angry.

"Well seeing how tight you two are now," he made a little gesture with his hand, holding his thumb and pointer a few inches apart. "She'll surely tell you if you ask nicely."

"So go and bother her." he told her and slapped her arms aside, slipping past her and muttering something that sounded disturbingly like "Fuck off." leaving her standing there with a deep scowl on her face.

_What the hell is his problem?_ she wondered when he left the apartment, then stomped over to the sofa. She might as well simply wait here.

* * *

Hitomi was sitting in a comfy chair and looked around the richly furnished office of the man that had been the lawyer of her family since she was born. The furniture was mostly made out of mahogany and polished so that Hitomi could almost see her reflection. The floor was basically one big, dark green carpet.

She would hate to be the cleaning woman here.

Her gaze turned to the man who went by the name of Harald Löwinger. He was a fifty years old squat man and his hair, the part of it that hadn't been shed, was already grey.

He was currently reading the letter that she had given him upon entering the room. Like she had told Viktor she planned on going to the police and confess what she had done, but she wanted to consult someone that had more knowledge on the subject first.

So she had told him in detail what had transpired and he listened intently, then turned his attention to the letter at hand.

The Karateka let out a sigh as she leaned back into the soft cushions of the chair crossing her arms and tapped the heel of her boot against the carpeted floor. A stern clearing of the throat made her stop it.

A few more moment passed until he placed the letter back on the table and ran a hand across his round face, stopping at his nose to pinch its bridge.

"Hitomi, really." Harald said and shook his head. He stood up and pulled off his suit jacket, placing it around the backrest of his chair. He had been about to go home when she had called and he looked pretty tired. "I would never have expected something like this from you of all people."

"I know and I'm sorry about it, but I can't change it now. So should I simply go to the police and confess?" she asked. Harald ran his right hand through his hair and paced behind his desk for a moment.

"Well you told me they were drunk and were harassing your friend, now normally that would have turned the tide in your favor but you're a black belt and as thus the law makes it quite clear that you should know to restrain yourself according to the amount of danger you're in and I imagine they didn't put much of a fight." she shook her head at that. "Figured as much. Well if you go to the police it would only speed up the trial and even that would still take months and in addition to the fine that is awaiting you at the end of it you would have to pay for the trial as well."

Hitomi turned her gaze to the floor. So it was like she expected. _At least I know what to expect now._

"Still there's another option. Since the lawsuit is only a few weeks old and the court isn't involved yet I could try to get in contact with the lawyers of the gentlemen to resolve this outside of the court. It would still end in you having to pay money, but at least it will bring a quick resolution." he suggested her and she pondered what he said.

"Can...Can this whole thing stay between you and me then? I don't want to involve my father in this."

"Hitomi, you know that your father and I have been friends for a long time now. I've known you since you were a baby. But this isn't about that," he looked at her as she looked at her fingers as if they held all her answers. "This is a case and as thus it will be completely confidential between you and me."

Hitomi's blue eyes met his steel-grey ones and a kind smile formed on his lips.

"So shall we do it this way?" he asked. Hitomi couldn't stop herself from smiling back.

The Karateka nodded in agreement "Yes." It would be better this way. Better to have it out of the way quickly and cleanly so that she could focus on other things.

"Alright then, Miss Buchfink." he sat down in his chair again, placing his elbow onto the desk. He propped his chin onto his hand and pulled out a sheet of paper with the other. "There is the matter of my fee to discuss though. You'll find everything on that contract."

_Aww son of a-_ she groaned and took the fountain pen he was holding out towards her. Well of course she would have to pay him as well, how stupid of her to forget that.

It was his job after all.

Reading through the contract she found everything to her liking and put her signature on it and handed the sheet of paper back to him.

"Ok, I'll hand that over to my secretary tomorrow and I'll contact the opposing party to strike a deal. So just go back home and leave the rest to me. I'll call you if I got something." he told her.

Saying goodbye she left the office and went on her way to return home, longing for the presence of her girlfriend.

* * *

_**Tsk, tsk, tsk Viktor, if you act like that people might get the wrong impression of you.**_

_**Lots of things happening here, and not all of them for the better. But really, that's how it is in real life sometimes. The cousin of my best friend was once in the very same situation as Hitomi. He punched some dude in the nose while defending his sister, but had to answer to that because he was a boxer.**_

_**Don't you worry, this will still play a role down the road, just maybe not in the way people would expect ;)**_

_**So that's it for this week.**_

_**See you around.**_


	34. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

* * *

The Karateka got off the tram and looked left and right before crossing the street. A sudden chill made her close her jacket and put her hands into her pockets.

The first signs that summer was ending. She looked up at the sky that had gotten dark about half an hour ago. Four weeks earlier and the sun would still be up. Her thoughts turned to Leifang and wondered what she might be up to right now.

_Probably watching TV now that she can understand some of what they say_ she chuckled to herself. Her stomach grumbled all of a sudden and she patted it. "Yeah yeah, don't worry once I'm back I'll make something." she said cheerfully, already making a mental list of the ingredients she had at home.

If Leifang wanted she could help her again. Oh, and while they were at it there was something that she had told the Chinese they would do once she would come to Germany, but with all the stuff that had been going on with herself she had completely forgotten about it.

Not anymore though. She would do everything she had promised with Leifang. And more. She could already see them on dates, sitting with each other in the mess hall of the university, holding hands and kissing.

The last thought made all of her insides tingle pleasantly. She really hoped that Leifang would overcome her hesitance and they could get down to business so to speak. She had to giggle at the thought, over a month ago the idea of wanting to kiss her would have send her into another guilt trip and now it seemed to be the most natural thing in the world.

But she had promised she would be patient and she kept her promises.

_That doesn't mean we can't cuddle a little bit_ she thought, an impish grin making its way onto her lips. She always liked to cuddle anyways.

Now very much happy with her plans she hastened her steps and started whistling. She rounded the corner to her apartment, the same one she had used when she stumbled upon Leifang standing there and she felt her heartbeat speed up, quickly unlocked the door and bound up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

She stopped at her apartment door, wondering what she should say when she stepped in. _I'm back sweetheart_ she snickered and opened the door.

"Hey, I'm back!" she called closed the door behind her, pulled off her boots and hung her jacket back onto the coat hanger. The smile that was on her lips faltered as soon as she stepped into the living room, coming face to face with Leifang, who simply glared at her and leaned against the wall.

What did she do?

"Leifang?" she asked and her girlfriend just crossed her arms under her breasts, her expression turning sour.

"Tell me what you're hiding from me." Leifang said simply.

_Oh crap._

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." she said in a futile attempt to deny anything, but the look in the Chinese's brown orbs told her that she knew she was lying and Leifang looked only more upset.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" she shouted and Hitomi took a step backward when Leifang stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger at her. Jabbing it against her chest she continued. "Viktor already let it spill. So don't try to play ignorant."

She cursed Viktor and the way he could run his mouth for a second before letting out a sigh and hanging her head in defeat. They weren't together for a day and already fighting. _Great start, Hitomi._

"Alright." she said and breathed a sigh. Hitomi headed over to her jacket and pulled out the letter, walked back and handed it to her.

Leifang eyed the letter warily before snatching it out of the German's hand and running her eyes over the letters. She couldn't understand all of it but it seemed to be from the police from what she gathered.

"What is this?" she asked.

Releasing another sigh Hitomi began to explain. "It's a police notice regarding a lawsuit against me."

"A what!?" Leifang gasped out, a hint of worry in her voice. "What happened?"

"To make it short I got into a fight in a bar. Some drunk guys teamed up on Viktor and I beat them up. I got carried away though, because..." she hesitated. Hitomi didn't want to tell her girlfriend that her feelings for her were partly at fault that her mood was so sour that she couldn't restrain herself. "I was kind of drunk too. Well and I got this exactly today."

"Why didn't you tell me then?" Leifang asked, her anger already dissipating.

"You just came back today and I didn't want bother you with something like this." Hitomi took the letter from Leifang and folded it up before putting it into her back pocket. She grabbed her girlfriend's hand and gave it a little squeeze. "It's not important, really."

"But of course it's important. They are suing you."

"Yes, but I met with my lawyer earlier and he'll make them a deal. I probably have to use some of the prize money from the tournament but at least it'll be out of the way. So don't worry." Hitomi assured her and gave her a small smile.

"But don't you see?" Leifang asked and put her left hand on Hitomi's right cheek. "I can't help but worry. You're important to me."

"You're important to me too." Hitomi said, her voice taking on a husky note, and both her and Leifang's cheeks became bright red.

"So I want you to tell me things like that in the future, ok?"

"Ok, I promise I won't hide things like this from you ever again."

With a smile Leifang bridged the distance between them and Hitomi circled her waist with her right arm. Leifang pulled her hand way from the brunette's cheek and snaked her left arm around her neck. The hand that held onto one another was set firmly between them.

"Gosh we're so silly, aren't we?" Leifang asked against Hitomi's neck. "Not even together for twenty four hours and already got in a fight."

Hitomi had to fight against laughing at that and managed to only let out a giggle, to which her girlfriend responded in kind. "Yes. Yes we are." she said and breathed in Leifang's scent.

They moved apart and Hitomi was once again taken in by her friend's beauty. How much she wanted to lean in and capture those pretty lips.

_Oh well_ she let out a content sigh and kissed Leifang on the cheek. "Come on, how about we'll make some food now? After all I promised to make something."

"Ok." Leifang nodded and slipped past her. Hitomi followed her with her gaze, letting her eyes roam over her body. She found herself drawn to her legs immediately. The bathrobe that Leifang was still wearing had become a bit loose and now every time she took a step her thighs became exposed, teasing Hitomi with a hint of flesh.

_Wow. Calm down Hitomi. You're not a teenager anymore._ She told herself trying to fight off her arousal. The Karateka cleared her throat. "Um, shouldn't you change into something else?"

Leifang halted in her tracks and looked down at herself. Unfortunately for Hitomi she stopped mid-step and a lot of her left thigh was exposed to her, making her groan inwardly as she now pictured what could await her if she followed that path up.

"Oh yeah, you're right. You wouldn't mind if I took some of your clothes, would you?" she asked.

"No, take whatever you want." Hitomi said and quickly walked into the kitchen, deciding to change later. Quickly looking into her fridge she saw that she had some leftover lettuce, some carrots and cherry tomatoes.

Thinking about it for a moment she came up with an idea. She pulled out some oil and vinegar, snapped her fingers a few times until she remember where she put that bowl she needed and placed it on the counter together with a cutting board.

By the time she had gathered all that she needed Leifang came to join her. Hitomi had to swallow hard when she saw her dressed in one of her oversized T-shirts and wore a pair of sleeping shorts under it. She looked good in it. But to the Karateka she looked good in anything. "I took one of these, everything else was too big for me." she muttered the last part.

"Are you still hung up over that little bit of difference?" Hitomi asked.

"Well..." Leifang pulled at the front of the shirt and looked down inside it, causing the shirt to run up her giving Hitomi even more free view on her lower body.

"So what are we gonna make?" Leifang asked and, to Hitomi's relief, stopped looking down the shirt so that it would cover her up a bit more again.

"Uhm," Hitomi shook her head. "Oh yeah, I thought some simple salad would be ideal, this one fills up pretty good. Nothing much you can help me with other than cutting some stuff, so why don't you just watch and learn?"

"Sure." Leifang shrugged and leaned against the counter. Hitomi deigned herself another secret look at the Chinese's legs before washing her hands and started to work on the ingredients. She cut the lettuce and carrots into small pieces, careful not to cut herself with that all that welcome distraction that stood beside her.

Next up were the cherry tomatoes which she simply cut in half. She put everything into the bowl and took a look at the amount that was in there.

_Hmm could use a bit more_ she thought and looked around. _Ah!_

She walked past her girlfriend, who looked at her in amusement, and headed over to the fruit basket, taking out an apple and orange. Peeling them she cut them into pieces as well and put them into the bowl as well.

After that she simply added the oil and vinegar and let it breathe for a few moments before putting the salad onto two plates, sharing it evenly between them.

"Dinner is served, m'lady." Hitomi said and held out a plate and fork towards Leifang with great flourish, making Leifang giggle.

"Why thank you." she said and took the plate from Hitomi.

"Bet you never had a girlfriend who could cook."

Leifang giggled again. "I never had a girlfriend at all."

"First time for everything," Hitomi said and brushed flirtingly past Leifang, heading into the living room. "Two birds with one stone too."

A shudder of excitement ran through Leifang before she followed her.

Hitomi placed her plate onto the table but didn't sit down just yet as she went over to to the box where she stored her DVD collection.

"What are you doing?" Leifang asked and stabbed some lettuce onto her fork.

"Fulfilling a promise. I told you I would watch some 'Kids movies' with you." she told her and pulled out a DVD then placed it back when she saw that it was the wrong one. Rummaging around a little bit more she finally found the one she wanted. "Ah there it is. Lion King. Sorry but no backing out now."

Leifang let out a playfully exaggerated sigh. "Guess I have no other choice."

"Nope you don't" Hitomi said cheekily and popped the movie into her DVD-Player then sat down beside the Chinese. They ate their dinner in silence and watched the movie. Once Hitomi had her fill she placed the plate on the table.

Her right hand sought out Leifang's and interlaced their fingers. Giving her a shy smile the Chinese put away her plate as well and let herself be pulled with her as Hitomi started to line down the length of the sofa, cuddling up against her.

"Mhm, this feels strange." Leifang said.

"Wrong?"

Leifang shook her head. "No, definitely not wrong."

"Then it must be right." Hitomi joked and Leifang only huffed at her. Chuckling she kissed her girlfriend on the back of her head, using the difference of position to her advantage, then placed her chin on top of it.

"Welcome back, Leifang." Hitomi whispered.

"I'm glad to be back." Leifan whispered back.

They simply lied there and watched the movie.

"Eww, did they just eat those bugs?" Leifang asked later on.

"Yep they did." she confirmed and grinned as her girlfriend made a disgusted sound.

The two of them remained that way until they fell asleep, enjoying the closeness and warmth of one another.

* * *

_**Already keeping secrets, eh? Well not with Leifang you don't!**_

_**Nothing much to say here, so just enjoy them being lovey-dovey and we see us next week! :)**_


	35. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

* * *

Hitomi awoke as the rays of the morning sun hit her in the face. She felt something – no, someone - resting against her, their body weight slightly on top of her. Squinting one of her eyes open she saw Leifang sleeping half on top of her, head resting above the German's breasts.

She let out an amused sound and brushed a stray lock out of the Chinese's face with her finger. The movement caused Leifang to let out a small moan and the Karateka bit her lower lip.

Her gaze went over to the clock. It was just after 9 a.m.

She would need to get into her regular sleeping routine soon when classes began again. Which reminded her that she should ask Leifang what her classes were, maybe they shared some.

Looking down at her again Hitomi couldn't help but marvel at her luck.

Leifang's lips parted slightly as she watched her and she found herself unable to resist anymore, even though she promised. _What she doesn't know..._ She moved just a little bit, careful not to wake her, and lowered her face to that of her girlfriend's.

Just when their lips were about to touch she let out another moan and her eyes started to open, causing Hitomi to double back. _Damn_

She let out a disappointed sigh, but quickly covered it up with a smile and chastised herself for being so impatient. Leifang opened her eyes.

"Morning, sleepy head." Hitomi said and Leifang stifled a yawn.

"Good morning." the Chinese said and gave her a quick once over. "And I think my hair doesn't look as over the place like yours"

"Yeah well, you don't have a mane like mine so I suppose that's true. Besides you always look pretty." At the compliment Leifang couldn't help but blush and for the first time Hitomi noticed that it made her ears flush a little bit too. _How cute!_

"A-anyway, did you sleep well? I-I wasn't too heavy was I?" Leifang asked and got a bit more flustered when she noticed that she was basically lying on her. Hitomi simply chuckled and ran a hand absentmindedly through the other's hair.

"Hmm yeah." she said and grinned, remembering something. "After all you didn't mistake me for a teddy bear that you wanted to strangle."

Leifangs simply gaped at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she should say to this. "I-I-I WHAT!?"

"You used a pillow like a teddy bear." Hitomi said, her grin growing.

"I did not!"

The Karateka simply grabbed her cell phone from the table, where she placed it sometime during the evening because it became uncomfortable to lie on the sofa with it being in her back pocket. She navigated through the menu until she got to the piece of evidence she took all those months ago and turned the phone around so that she could show Leifang.

"There you go."

Leifang didn't know what she should say as she saw herself hugging a pillow for dear life. When could that have been?

_New York! _ She realized. _That was when I had my hangover. _

"You little sneak!" she exclaimed and slapped Hitomi's shoulder repeatadly. The German simply laughed it off and placed her cell back onto the table and made to grab Leifang's hand, holding it firmly in her grasp.

Leifang tried to break free and tried to look angry but after a while she couldn't stop herself and joined her friend in laughter.

"Why did you take that photo in the first place?" she asked once she calmed down. Hitomi took a little longer to do that but then replied.

"I actually wanted to use it to blackmail you a little." she admitted still giggling a little.

"Oh and what would've you tried to blackmail me into?"

Hitomi gave her a grin that quickly took on a flirty note. "Well." she drawled out. "I think I would've forced you to," she ran her hand through the Chinese's hair once more. "To lie here, with me. But it looks like I don't need to anymore, huh?"

"No I guess not." Leifang said and smiled, closing her eyes a little and resting her head against Hitomi again.

"So did you sleep well?" Hitomi asked.

"Mhm." the Chinese hummed in confirmation.

"Good, you had a great pillow after all." the Karateka teased her and watched Leifang flush again as she realized that she had been sleeping against her breasts.

"Come on now, we need to get up." Hitomi said and nudged her a little. "I'll even let you take a shower first."

With a sigh Leifang got up from the sofa and Hitomi immediately missed the warmth of her body. The Chinese stretched a little bit and yawned one last time. "Alright. Is it really fine if I go first?"

"Sure. I'll just make some breakfast. Anything you'd like me to make?" Hitomi asked. Leifang tapped a finger against her chin.

"Something light maybe, but otherwise I'm fine with anything you like." she said and headed towards the shower. Hitomi watched as she went and her eyes traveled downward, watching as her behind swayed with every step she made until she came to a halt on Leifang's perfect calves.

_Focus Hitomi_ she told herself and tore her gaze away from the Chinese. She was about to head into the kitchen when she realized that she needed to go to the baker.

But her hair was all messed up.

_Oh well_ she thought and headed into her bedroom. She dressed into some simple jogging clothes and, to tame her hair a little more, put a beanie on her head. Deciding that she didn't need to bother Leifang about this since the baker was down the street, she headed for the door, put on some trainers and went to buy some buns.

* * *

"Hey say," Hitomi said while they were sitting at the table, taking a bite from her bun and looked at the Chinese, who was taking a sip from her freshly pressed orange juice. "You told me you got a place of your own."

"Yes I do." she said and took another sip, then placed the glass back onto the table. "Hmm. Why don't I show it to you?"

Hitomi smiled. Good, she didn't need to ask then. "I'd like that."

"Then let's go right after we're finished eating."

"Sure, but first it's my turn in the shower. Since a certain someone had spent so much time in it before breakfast." Hitomi teased her and Leifang stuck out her tongue at her. "Don't flaunt it if you don't intend to use it."

Flushing Leifang pulled her tongue back in and slapped the Karateka's arm. "I think that's my cue. Just put the plates into the sink, I'll take care of them later." Hitomi said and went into the shower, leaving Leifang to her own devices.

The Chinese held a hand against her heart, trying to get herself to calm down a little bit. Hitomi really knew how to make her feel embarrassed these days and while it did make her nervous it also made her feel happy.

She had a good feeling about them and they had been together only for a day now. Leifang didn't resist the smile that formed itself on her lips and gathered the plates. Putting them into the sink like she was told to do, she walked into the living room and inspected her clothes from yesterday.

They had put them into the dryer almost immediately after having gotten back, so they were completely dry now. _Hmm, yes they will do for now_ she thought and pulled off the clothes she burrowed from Hitomi.

All the while Hitomi had just gotten into the shower and grinned from ear to ear. She hadn't have that much energy since... since the last time she had liked someone like _that_.

Back when Hayate had been the object of her affection she had practically bounced across the rooms. Until she couldn't take it anymore and asked him on a 'date', which was really just a little picnic with a friend for him, but to her it had meant the world. But that was the past and Leifang was here now and they both knew what type of relationship they were in.

She wondered where she should take the Chinese on their first date. A picnic wouldn't cut it, it needed to be special. It needed to be perfect.

_Let's not get ahead of ourself now Hitomi._ She told herself. First she needed to resolve her lawsuit, then Leifang needed to settle into her new life here, and Hitomi intended to give her that time.

She just hoped it wouldn't be too long.

Not wanting to travel down that road with her thoughts she concentrated on washing herself.

Hitomi got out of the shower and toweled herself dry, using the blow dryer on her hair to speed up the process while she wished her hair was as silky as Leifang's.

After a few more minutes she was finished. She put the towel around her body and headed out of the bathroom, giving Leifang a passing glance as she looked through her book collection while she headed to her bedroom to pick out some clothes.

Leifang realized that the German had left the bathroom, noticing the aromatic scent that Hitomi's soap had in the air. She caught a quick glimpse of Hitomi walking across the living room in nothing but a towel and she found her gaze darting to the ample chest of the brunette. Sure they weren't really that much apart in size, that much was true, but still. Leifang couldn't help but feel a bit envious and little by little she was drawn to them in a different way.

Blushing she quickly turned back to the bookshelf, chastising herself for ogling Hitomi so openly, then found it very silly considering that she had seen her naked before when they were bathing together and in the showers at the beach in Hong Kong.

She took a deep breath and ran a hand over her face.

"I really should stop being so silly. It's only natural." she said to no one in particular and ran a finger along one of the book's spine. "We're together now."

She smiled as she said "Together" and decided that simply looking wasn't going to hurt anyone. Who knows, maybe Hitomi was doing the same? The thought alone made Leifang's insides tingle pleasantly.

"Hmm yeah we're together." a voice said from behind her and Leifang spun around to see Hitomi standing there smiling, her hand on her hips and dressed in jeans and a sky blue, long sleeved sweatshirt. When she saw the look on Leifang's face she asked: "Something the matter?"

Leifang shook her head and returned the smile. "No. I guess I just realized something." she said and moved to hug the German.

"Well whatever it was, I'm not complaining." Hitomi said and returned the hug. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah."

They left the place and hailed a cab to drive them to the location of Leifang's apartment. Hitomi watched as Leifang gave the driver the direction and was marveled at how good her German was. It shouldn't come as a surprise to her, the Chinese did have a knack for languages after all. Of course it needed a lot of practice to be close to perfect but she would manage.

Hitomi recognized the part of the city there were driving into and it didn't really surprise her that Leifang had an apartment in one of the places that was known for its high real estate prices.

Not that she really minded. It was close to the university and she could simply ride her bike and be there in about thirty minutes.

They got out of the cab and Leifang paid the driver before leading Hitomi into the six story apartment building. They rode the elevator up to the top floor.

The two of them stopped in front of the door and Leifang turned towards her. "Well here we are." she said and unlocked the door with her key.

As they stepped in Hitomi was surprised by how small it actually was. Smaller than her apartment for sure. The first thing she noticed was the small kitchen on the right of them and just ahead was the living room, that was more long than wide and led to a small terrace that had two deck chairs on it as well as some plants.

The living room was already richly furnished with a sofa that looked like a smaller version of the one she had in Hong Kong. There was a small table with place for two people to sit at and a huge plasma tv on the wall just near the door that led to the rest of the apartment. Hitomi walked through it and saw the bathroom right in front of her, as well as a small storeroom on the right.

And on the left was the bedroom with a huge bed and filled with various boxes that Leifang hadn't had time to unpack yet. _Probably her clothes_ she figured as she spotted the large wardrobe.

She returned back into the living room where Leifang waited. Leifang herself was quite nervous even though it shouldn't be a big deal. She hoped that Hitomi would like her place.

"It's a nice place." Hitomi said finally. "A bit smaller than I thought though. Cozy."

Leifang let out a sigh of relief. "Yes. It's not like I need that much space." She walked over to the terrace. "And the view is great."

Hitomi walked up to her and stood directly behind the Chinese, looking over her shoulder, taking in the view herself. Then she noticed something.

"Hey," she said and pointed slightly to the right with her left hand. "That way's my apartment."

"Oh you're right!"

Hitomi smiled and circled Leifang's waist with her right arm, pulling the taller girl closer and putting her head on her left shoulder. Leifang smiled to herself and touched the Karateka's right hand with her own, not resisting at all. "Guess if I ever feel lonely I just look in that direction and think of you huh?" she asked.

"You could also call me over." Hitomi pointed out.

"So I could just phone you, in the middle of the night, to ask you to keep me company?" Leifang asked, her voice going lower and Hitomi felt herself growing hot at the implications in that statement.

"Y-yeah" Hitomi said and was happy that Leifang couldn't see the blush on her face. Damn her imagination. It was probably not even meant the way she perceived it. "Of course I would."

"Hmm. I'm glad." Leifang said and she knew that she could get used to all this in time.

They stood there for the longest time and then decided to unpack Leifang's things and put them in the wardrobe.

And to really settle her in Hitomi decided to make her a special dinner that evening.

* * *

_**Ha, and that whole photo thing finally went full circle!  
Also Hitomi's a little sneak :P  
**_

_**Again nothing much to say from me. I hope you're enjoying the story and we'll see us next week!**_


	36. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

* * *

A week had passed and the classes began again. Hitomi was currently sitting in one of the last rows and wrote down anything, that could be important, inside her notebook. Her thoughts swayed to her girlfriend who should currently be in her own class.

She had been very excited about it all and just a few days earlier had given Leifang the grand tour of the campus and its surroundings. Leifang had told her that the majority of her lessons in this semester would consist of German. Though she still participated in her majors it wouldn't help her much if she didn't understand the language now, would it?. Leifang had also told her that she took music as another minor, something that she had wanted to do for a long time after she stopped her piano lessons in favor for martial arts training.

It was really too bad that they shared none of their subjects. But they could always see each other during lunch break. Hitomi prodded her chin on her left fist and exhaled deeply.

Still they needed to make something of a schedule as sad as that sounded. She'd rather spend all her time with her girlfriend, but the truth was that the time that she could spend with her might just become even less depending on the outcome of a certain situation she was currently in.

At the very least they could see each other in the evening... she hoped.

Hitomi let out a deep breath and absentmindedly started to doodle around in her notebook. Today, she thought, she wouldn't be able to digest a lot of subject matter anyway. While she was no Rembrandt she thought she was pretty good at drawing things.

She drew her pencil across the paper for a few minutes, sometimes stopping to erase a line that was no good. A smile formed on her lips when she saw the cute, chibified picture of Leifang that she drew, smiling back at her.

The clearing of a throat made her jolt upright in her seat and slam her notebook shut. Damn she had been caught!

The professor cleared his throat once more to get everyone elses attention, then looked at his watch. "I'm afraid I have to leave earlier today, so you'll be dismissed ahead of time. Please review what we discussed today. Good day" he said and Hitomi sighed in relief. Got lucky this time.

She gathered her things, put them in her bag and walked out of the classroom into the hallway. Walking down the hallways she headed to where Leifang was having her German class and leaned against the wall.

Checking her own watch she saw that there were still a good twenty minutes left until it was lunchtime so she crossed her arms in front of her chest and decided to wait patiently.

While waiting she thought on what Harald had said to her a few days ago.

"They agreed to meet with me on Wednesday and I'll try to get you as good a deal as possible." he had said, but she could already tell that the chances of her getting away cheap would be slim to none.

_They should have had the meeting by now._ Hitomi wondered if she should just call him or play it safe until he called her. Knowing him he wouldn't call until way later.

But it would probably be better to wait, even if it would be a little aggravating. The Katareka huffed in annoyance. She had wanted to be there during the whole thing, but Harald told her they refused because they thought that she might just harm then again.

_Morons_ she thought. She just wanted this to be over.

Hitomi waited until the doors opened and the students came spilling out of the room. She couldn't really make it out but it sounded as if the professor was calling after them.

The students cleared and Hitomi waited for Leifang to appear but didn't see her. She looked after the crowd then walked over to the door, which was about to fall shut and saw her girlfriend still talking with the female professor. Smiling she leaned against the doorframe and simply watched her.

They were talking about the current route of the curriculum and if she could get some extra material. After they had finished their talk Leifang said goodbye to the Professor and headed for the door where Hitomi was already waiting for her.

"Hey stranger." Hitomi said.

"Well hello to you too." Leifang smiled.

They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, before heading off. "See you tomorrow." Leifang said once more to the Professor.

"Wow, that doesn't sound too bad." Hitomi complimented her. "Only a few days in and you're already improving."

"Yes, well she told me something along the lines as well. I asked her if I could get some advanced material to practice at home."

"Just tell me if I can help you, you know what with being native and all." Hitomi said and Leifang held her hand in front of her lips to hold back a giggle.

"I'd be delighted to get your help in that matter, Hitomi-sensei."

"Ouch, that makes me sound a bit old now." she said, grinning wide and rubbing the back of her head. The shared a laugh, then walked on in silence.

As they walked side by side she reached out with the fingers of her left hand, brushing them against Leifang's right. The action drew a smile on their faces that they shared. Before the semester began they had decided that it would be better to keep their relationship a secret between the two of them.

Well, and Viktor.

Hitomi came up with that idea and Leifang was incredibly grateful for her thoughtfulness. It was one thing to have a few select people know about them, but to have a lot of people know, and it would certainly get around that two beautiful girls were in a romantic relationship, would be overwhelming to her.

_Besides,_ Hitomi thought to herself, looking at the people that passed them on their way to the canteen, _It isn't any of their business._

She hadn't even told her father yet. Though she planned on doing that the next time she saw him. He was her father after all.

She turned her gaze to Leifang and wondered if she planned on telling her parents in the near future. She had confided in her that her parents didn't know the exact reason for why she actually wanted to study abroad and something told Hitomi that it was probably better that way for. At least for now.

As polite as Jintao had been towards her she couldn't see him as the type that would look positively upon his daughter taking up studying in another country simply because she wanted to pursue a relationship with another girl, who happened to be her best friend.

Hitomi frowned. Man that sounded bad even in her mind now that she actually thought about it. Definitely better to wait until they dropped that bomb on them.

Hitomi and Leifang entered the canteen together and walked up to the counter. Not really out for something special today they both agreed on the soup and searched for a place to sit. The Karateka spotted Viktor sitting alone. "Hey over there." she said and pointed towards him, then started walking over.

"Hiya." she greeted and sat down in front of him.

"Hi Hit-girl." he said simply then looked over to Leifang who sat down beside Hitomi. "Hey."

"Hey." Leifang said simply and started eating her soup, then grimaced at the stale taste and grabbed the salt shaker. Her lips drew into a thin line as she listened to the two of them talk. She hadn't forgotten her last talk with Viktor and from how things looked he didn't either, as he avoided gazing at her at all costs.

Hitomi didn't notice a thing. "Haven't seen you the past week. Been up to something?"

"Nah, I just spend my time getting ready for the semester is all. Probably should've done those extra classes too, huh?"

"And then have me see your face all the time? No thanks."

"Yeah, well you aren't exactly Scarlett Johansson either." he said in a mock insulted tone, a grin forming on his lips.

"True, because I'm way prettier." Hitomi said and Viktor snorted in amusement.

"You telling yourself that so that you can sleep at night?"

"Oh now it's on!"

Leifang watched the two of them bicker back and forth while she ate in silence. Unconsciously she clenched her teeth and felt something wreathe inside of her, deep down, coiling itself around her heart. She counted herself lucky that they were busy bickering or else they might have seen the scowl forming on her face.

For just this little moment that she watched the two she wanted Viktor gone. Then she realized what she was feeling. That little snake in the back of her mind. She was jealous.

That was a new one. She couldn't remember ever having been jealous over Jann Lee, but that was in no small part due to him having never shown interest in anything that wasn't connected with martial arts, women included. He didn't have anyone that was close to him.

Unlike Hitomi, who had friends.

And one that was a bit too close for comfort to her right now.

Forcing herself to look as neutral as possible she continued to eat, watching them from the corners of her eyes. Suddenly Hitomi, who must have noticed that she had been quiet, turned to her and was about to say something when her phone rang.

Hitomi looked at the display who the caller was. It was Harald. "Sorry, gotta have to take this." she got up from her seat and walked away, leaving Leifang and Viktor alone. Both of them just stared at each other in silence, narrowing their eyes, before deciding to simply look somewhere else.

Once Hitomi was out of the door she pressed the answer button and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hitomi, it's me, Harald." it came from the other side. "Are you busy right now?"

"No, I'm just eating lunch so I've got time."

"Splendid." he said and Hitomi heard a little bit of rustling on the other side of the line. "I've met with the young gentlemen – and I'm using that word lightly here – and their counselor. To make it short: they are willing to retract their charges in exchange for reparation payments, but we knew that already."

"So how much do they want?" Hitomi asked, her voice making it clear just how anxious she actually was. _Here it comes._

Harald sighed and there was more rustling. He seemed to hesitate for a moment then told her. "...fifteen-thousand."

"Come again?"

"Fifteen-thousand euros and you're off the hook."

"Fifteen grand?!" she exclaimed and grabbed a fistful of her hair. Looking to the side she saw a couple of students standing in the entrance staring at her, as they were about to enter. Seeing the look that she was giving them made them hurry along.

"Yes I'm afraid so."

"Why? How would they know I can afford that?"

"Their lawyer investigated a little, clever man by the way, and it was easy to find some stuff about your participating in that tournament and the prize money." he told her and Hitomi had to frown at the compliment he gave the guy that was making her pay so much. Sure it wasn't that big a dent in her savings, but she didn't want to use that cash in the first place. "Actually the boys you beat up wanted to bleed you for more money but he convinced them that fifteen would be the most they could make."

Hitomi let out a sigh. "Well it's a bit of a shock, I didn't think they would want THAT much."

"Sorry, that was the best I could do. Of course if you want I can call them and say that the deal's off."

"No no." she shook her head even though he obviously couldn't see it. "It's fine, really. I'll pay them and it's over."

"Alright. Just come over to my office later and we can go over the rest."

"Ok, I'll be there. And Harald?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." she smiled and by the tone of his answer she could tell that he was smiling too.

"No problem, really. See you later."

"Later." Hitomi hung up and walked back into the canteen, placing the phone into her back pocket again. As she walked back towards their table she noticed that Viktor had gotten up and was carrying the tray he had taken back to the counter. Then he turned towards the exit and headed out, waving and giving her a smile as he passed her.

"See ya around." he said and she simply waved him goodbye, then walked back to the table and sat down opposite of Leifang, pulling her tray towards her new place.

"Hey, are you alright?" Leifang asked her immediately. She hadn't touched her food once after Hitomi had left. Hitomi fixed her gaze on Leifang and saw the worry reflected in those beautiful brown eyes and instantly felt bad about causing her to feel that way in the first place. She wanted to reach out with her hand, cup her face and kiss her to make her know that everything would be alright now and that she was glad that she was here with her.

But she couldn't, so she gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine now." she said and added with a small voice. "You're here after all."

Hitomi just hoped that the blush on her face wasn't too obvious.

* * *

_**Nothing much to discuss here, so why not something more up to date: Do you guy love Hitomi's new ponytail look in DOA5 Ultimate as much as I?  
Gonna have Hitomi wear it more often later in the fic.**_

_**That's it for this week. See you around. :)**_


	37. Chapter 34

_**Alrighty people. Got an announcement to make. **_

_**Just in case something ever happens to this story, like getting deleted for whatever reason I started uoloading this story to my DeviantArt account, you can find the link to that in my profile.  
That's all.**_

* * *

**Chapter 34**

* * *

"How can I help you Miss?" the attendant asked her, a polite smile on her face. Hitomi wasn't really in the mood to smile back though.

"Hitomi Buchfink. I'd like to check up on my savings account. I've recently made a large transfer and to be honest I'm kinda not sure how much money I still have." she told her, a little embarrassed by the fact.

"Do you have your ID and bank card with you?"

"Yes." Hitomi handed the young woman both and she checked them, then went and typed something on the keyboard. She did that for a few more moments before turning back to her, handing her a small pad.

"Please enter your PIN code here." she told the Karateka. With a smooth movement she entered her code and handed the pad back to the woman. The woman nodded and handed her ID and bank card in return.

"One moment please." she told her and pressed the enter button on the keyboard. "Your current account balance will be displayed here." she pointed at a small display where the numbers appeared.

Still a lot of money. Good, so her calculations weren't wrong.

"Thank you, that would be all."

"Have a nice day."

"Likewise." she said and left the bank building. It had been a few weeks now and the charges against her had been dropped by now so she had wanted to check how her account was doing, what with her having raided it for her stay in Hong Kong as well.

Some people would say she got off the hook scot-free and she was inclined to agree. It didn't feel like she deserved it though, so she made a decision the other day.

She would earn all that money back somehow. She would probably have to take on an additional job to do that, but she could live with that. She made a mistake and it was time that she rectified that mistake.

_Time to call an old friend._

* * *

Leifang walked along the streets humming to herself a song that she had heard in the radio. She was wearing a red-brown coat over her clothes since it had gotten a bit fresh these past days.

It was Saturday and the Chinese wanted to spend some quality time with her girlfriend today; something they weren't able to do the last few days since Hitomi had been busy with something other than her football training and working at the dojo. So they didn't have much time other than lunch to talk with each other.

To be honest she was a bit worried, they couldn't even talk in the evening because Hitomi had been rather tired when she got back and Leifang didn't want to bother her.

But today she decided on asking her what the matter was. She was her girlfriend after all. _I think I deserve to know._

Walking towards the door of the German's apartment building she passed a couple in their late forties, smiling at them in recognition, as they knew each other from meeting in the hallway for a few times now.

Just when the door was about to close the man pressed his hand against it, holding it open for her.

"Thank you." she said politely, her German having gotten better by now. It gave her a good feeling to see that her practice was paying off. All these hours she spent at night over a book and listening to lesson tapes weren't for nothing. But she also had a certain someone that gave her extra motivation of course.

She walked up the stairway, her heels making a fine clacking sound on the floor and stopped in front of Hitomi's apartment. She rang the doorbell.

She rang it again.

And another time when there still wasn't an answer. Her hand went to her bag to get her cellphone when the door behind her opened up and Viktor stepped out, dressed against the chilly air as much as she was. He stared at her for a second before simply walking off.

"Hey!" she called after him and she was surprised when he actually stopped.

"Yes, your highness?" he said to her as he turned around. Normally it would have been a joke but while his face was neutral she could see the annoyed look in his eyes.

Ignoring his comment she asked him. "Do you know where Hitomi is?"

Now he looked actually amused. "Sure. What's wrong, did your dear girlfriend not tell you what she's up to?"

That took her by surprise. She told Viktor but not her?

She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of showing how surprised she actually was so she kept her face neutral as well. "Looks like it, so where is she?"

"Why should I tell you?" he crossed his arms in front of his chest, making Leifang sigh. She wasn't in the mood for this.

"Just tell me, alright?" but he simply stood there not saying anything. "I'm worried about her. We couldn't spend time with each other and whenever she gets home she's way too tired."

The look in his eyes changed for a brief moment before he turned away. "She's at the local Oktoberfest offshoot, working off the money that she used to pay those fuckers. Beats me why she does it, but if someone can talk her out of that nonsense it's probably you."

"...Thank you." she said and he simply waved her off, huffing.

"I only told you because of her." he said and walked towards the stair. Leifang knew she should leave it at that, but now that they were talking she simply couldn't.

"What's the deal with you?" she asked and noticed too late how she sounded while saying that. He stopped again and looked over his shoulder.

"What?" he asked.

"I asked what your damn problem is!" she said, her anger now finally surfacing, and took a few steps towards him. He whirled around and met her halfway.

"I don't think I have to justify myself to YOU of all people."

Her eyes widened in realization as she finally got what his problem was.

"So that's how it is, huh?" she said and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You have feelings for Hitomi!"

Viktor blinked a few times then threw his hands up in the air. "Are you out of your fucking mind!?"

"What else can it be, huh?" Viktor stepped up to her and she realized only now how tall he actually was. But she had beat up people that had been taller and stronger than this. If he tried anything he would regret it.

"God, are you even listening to what you say? 'You have feelings for Hitomi'," he mimicked her with a falsetto voice. "As if I SHOULD be jealous of you. Ever realized that not everything has to revolve around you?!"

She was about to retort but Viktor snapped at her, beating her to the punch. "But fine, you want to know what my problem is? That you left her! That you simply ran off and left her here to deal with everything herself. While you were away _I_ had to watch my friend pretend that everything was okay until she simply couldn't take it anymore." he all but shouted and ran a hand through his hair. "And then a month later you come back, prancing around like nothing happened, like you owned the place, and all of a sudden you're a couple! If you ask me, she should've kicked your ass back to China!"

"Now if you excuse me, I have better places to be than in your vicinity." and with that he stormed off, leaving Leifang standing there, silently fuming. How dare he?!

He didn't know anything. He didn't know how confused she had been at the time. He didn't know how much pain it had caused her, how much it still did, of having left Hitomi here. And of all things he didn't know that Hitomi had forgiven her.

She knew that Hitomi must have had a hard time as well, and she didn't have any illusions about her not having been hurt by the whole thing. But Hitomi had forgiven her and that was the important thing. The Karateka wanted them to make a fresh start, looking forward instead of looking back.

Leifang clenched her fists, shaking with fury, and hurled her back against the wall. "Stupid asshole!" she shouted.

It took every bit of willpower not to storm after him and beat him into a bloody pulp. She stood there for a few minutes, inhaling and exhaling in deep breaths, until she finally calmed down and walked over to her bag. Gathering up the things that had spilled out she slung it back over her shoulder and walked towards the door.

She had to find out where that Oktoberfest was.

* * *

An hour had passed but she had finally found her destination. At first she tried guiding herself just with some flyers but she only managed to get to the general area it was being held, after that she had asked around and after being ignored a few times she finally had gotten someone to tell her where she needed to go.

It looked...quite charming she supposed? Like a fun fair, only with much more tents. She passed a lot of people as she walked across the stony walkway, young and old, some of them even Chinese tourists. And here she thought they would have been in Bavaria.

She walked over and greeted them in their native language, asking them politely if they had seen a young, pretty brunette with a bright disposition, about a few inches smaller than her.

"You mean the waitress? Yes we did, just follow that route, she's there." one of them told her.

"Thank you." she bowed politely, leaving them a bit baffled since they didn't expect such courtesy, and did as she was told. A few more minutes of walking and she could already hear Hitomi shouting "Coming!" and with a few more strides she came into view.

The Chinese couldn't stop herself from smiling as she saw her girlfriend running around among the tables, dressed in a cute red and white colored uniform dress adorned with a green colored sash around her waist. What were they called? Dirndl?

Hitomi had just delivered four large beer mugs to a table when Leifang sat down at another one outside of Hitomi's view and started to simply watch her. The smile on her lips faltered though. So she was really working to earn back all that money.

_Why are you doing this?_

Her gaze turned downward to the wooden table and she trailed her fingers across the rough wooden surface, lost in thought. She didn't know how long she had been that way when she was shaken out of her revery.

"Hi what can I get- Leifang?" Leifang's head snapped to the voice and Hitomi stood there blinking in confusion. "W-what are you doing here?"

Leifang remembered why she was here and huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Checking up on you. I wanted to spend the weekend with you, but apparently you're too busy earning back money."

Hitomi let out a sigh and looked around. There were still a lot of people that wanted to get their drinks served. Looking at her girlfriend with guilt in her eyes she said. "I-can you wait for a little bit? I have my break in a few minutes and then we can talk, alright? I wanted to tell you anyway."

The Chinese wanted to retort with something rude but the look on the brunette's face combined with that uniform made her so damn cute!

"Alright." she said and uncrossed her arms, giving her a kind look now. She couldn't stay mad at her for long.

"Thanks." Hitomi walked off to work until it was time for her break. She didn't plan on Leifang appearing here of all places, she actually wanted to tell her about the work tonight. _Oh well can't change it now_ she thought, then smiled and made a playful curtsy at an elderly gentleman who gave her a generous tip.

Walking back into the tent she told her boss that she was taking her break and headed to where Leifang was sitting. She had her legs crossed and looked at everything with interest in her eyes. It didn't surprise her, it was the first time she saw the Oktoberfest after all. Well an offshoot anyway.

Though she was the quiet the sight too, with her elaborate hairdo, as some of the customers were looking at her curiously.

_Here goes nothing_. Hitomi sat down opposite of Leifang. "Ok we can talk now."

Leifang fixed her gaze on the girl and found herself looking her up and down. Her gaze was drawn to the brunette's ample cleavage, which the dirndl was showing off rather nicely. _Not now!_ She forced herself to look Hitomi in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Viktor told you, right?" Leifang didn't answer that and Hitomi let out a deep breath. "Figured as much. Listen, I swear I was going to tell you tonight. I didn't tell you at first because the first few days I was just helping out, but one of the girls has gotten sick and said that she wouldn't be able to do it this year so I was asked if I could fill in for her. So please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad," Leifang said. "Not really anyway. But I think I deserve to know why my girlfriend isn't able to spend time with me. Why do you want to earn back that money anyway? You said yourself that it wasn't that much of the prize money."

Hitomi placed her elbows onto the wooden table and rubbed her hands together. "Yes it wasn't that much. But you have to understand that I've sworn never to use that money unless it was necessary and I already violated that rule back when I went to visit you."

"It was necessary for that if you ask me."

"Maybe," Hitomi shrugged her shoulders. "But I could've avoided having to pay the money in the first place. So that's why I decided to earn it back in any way I can. Maybe it's not logical for you, but that's what I've decided."

Leifang looked at her, then grabbed one of her hands and held it in her own. "So what you're saying is that you want to punish yourself?"

"No. Well maybe a little. But I didn't earn and save this money so that I could buy myself out of something, I want to use it for the future. Maybe open up my own dojo or buy me a house of my own as provision for old age. And now I'm missing fifteen-thousand on it, and that could already make a difference in that. If I do a good work and the tips are decent I can make five thousand here."

"I see." Leifang caressed the back of Hitomi's hand with her thumb, their eyes never leaving one another's. The next words were a whisper. "But does it have to come at the cost of us?"

"I-" Hitomi didn't know what to say and suddenly her plan of earning that money back ASAP had hit a roadblock. A roadblock in form of her girlfriend.

"This Oktoberfest is about two weeks, right? And you'll be here pretty much non-stop from afternoon onward. And after that, are you simply going to look for the next job? You already work in your father's dojo, you're in the university's female football team and if you work all the time to earn back that money where does that leave us?"

Hitomi hadn't thought about what she realized now. It had only been a few days thus far, but it could very well end up so she would be neglecting her girlfriend not even a month into their relationship. _I'm so stupid._

"I-damn I didn't think of that. I'm sorry!" Hitomi said and enclosed their hands with her other one. She wanted to earn that money but not at the cost of their relationship. Thinking for a moment she came up with something that might satisfy them both. "Ok listen. I've already signed up for this job so I can't leave, and even if I could I wouldn't. And you're right I probably would've jumped right into the next job. But not anymore, so let us compromise."

"I'm listening." Leifang said.

"I'll work here until the end and after that I won't take other jobs. I'll take the cash I make here, put it in my savings account and leave it at that for now. But next year I'll work here again so that I earn that money back in two years from now. Can we agree on that?"

Leifang turned her gaze sideways for a moment, then locked them with Hitomi's again. "Two weeks, you promise?"

"Two weeks, nothing more. And you can come by as much as you want."

Leifang shook her head. "Sometimes you're so stupid." she said and smiled at her. "Alright."

"Thanks, Leifang. I appreciate it."

"Got to ask though, isn't the Oktoberfest in Bavaria?"

"Actually yes." Hitomi chuckled and started to explain. "This was a different festival a long time ago, but ever since the Oktoberfest got so popular they decided, since it takes place at the same time, to just name it that way to get some more tourists here. There's a lot of small 'Oktoberfests' all over Germany actually," she pointed at her outfit. "Was my idea to wear those to give it a more authentic touch."

"I see." The couple fell silent for a moment, looking intently at each other.

"I know this is important to you." The Chinese finally said.

"Important, yes." she glanced at their joined hands. "But not as important as this."

Leifang gave her the most brilliant of smiles.

* * *

_**Isn't Hitomi just awesome? Getting herself a Dirndl just so that people in Baden-Würtemberg could get some real Oktoberfest feel. That's some grade A waifu material right there, Leifang. Just sayin'**_

_**And man does Leifang come off as bitchy here.**_

_**Now you gotta excuse me if that isn't entirely accurate to the customs down there, my knowledge of that is a little bit lacking since I'm actually from way up north in Germany and we actually have a small Oktoberfest here**_

_**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, since I'm SO looking forward to post the next few chapters.**_  
**_Well see you all next week. :)  
_**


	38. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

* * *

Lying in her bed she moaned as she squinted her eyes open to the unyielding sunlight that shone through her window. God, why hadn't she closed the curtains?

To say that Hitomi felt like she had been pulled through a meat grinder was putting it mildly. For the last two weeks she had been juggling going to classes, football training, working in her dad's dojo AND jobbing at the Oktoberfest with success, but it was starting to take its toll on her.

Back in the day, when she had worked there before, it hadn't been that bad, since her rigorous training had given her stamina which your run of the mill waitress would kill for to have. But with the added responsibilities that she had now it became harder.

Good thing today would be the last day and she could finally kick back and spend some much deserved time with Leifang. Looking at the very familiar ceiling her thoughts went out to her girlfriend. After they had talked about it Leifang became supportive of her decision and occasionally visited her while she was working, but she knew it was hard on her. They both wanted to spend time with each other desperately. So much in fact that Hitomi had talked to her over the phone way longer than she should.

Thankfully it was Sunday today so she wouldn't have to work so long since people will have to work the next day as well. She dragged herself out of bed and stretched herself, moaning a little as an audible crack could be heard.

Hitomi rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and made her way into the bathroom. A shower would do her good. Not in the mood to put her clothes away she dropped them on the floor where she stood and went into the shower. She turned the water on, cold at first to wake her up properly, then warm.

She gathered some of the water in her hands and splashed her face, then rubbed them against it. This felt soooooo good right now. A massage would be good as well.

_I'd love to simply lie back down after this_. But alas she couldn't. After having showered and dressed in comfortable underwear she walked into the kitchen to make herself some light breakfast in the form of a toast.

Sitting down she propped her chin on her fist and kept her gaze locked on the toaster. It made a little ticking noise. As she watched it intently she felt her eyes starting to close again, being lulled back to sleep by the rhythmic sound it made.

Her chin started to slide down her fist and following the laws of gravity her head dropped onto the table hard, just in time for the toast to be finished.

"Ouch..." she muttered and rubbed her forehead. Hitomi snatched the toast out of the toaster and placed it on her table. "Well Bon appétit."

After having finished her breakfast she felt much more awake now and, looking at the clock to check the time, decided it was time to get dressed. She put on her Dirndl and inspected herself in the mirror. It was pretty old, about three years now, but still it retained its original color tone after having been washed countless times. A testimony to its quality.

_And it better remain that way for quite some time_. She thought and fixed her hair a little before putting on her hairband. That dress hadn't been cheap after all.

Once she was satisfied with how she looked, and looks where important since it influenced how generous some people were with their tips, she put on a comfortable pair of trainers and headed out.

In the hallway she stopped to look at Viktor's door.

He had been distant in these two weeks, and not just because she didn't have much free time. No, he actively started avoiding her at the university. One time she had seen him from the distance only for him to spot her and turn around at once, all but running in the opposite direction.

At first she thought she had said something to upset him in a way, but then she noticed that all the time it happened she was with Leifang.

_He's not avoiding me, he's avoiding her._ She had figured out by now and when she breached the subject to her girlfriend the Chinese changed the subject almost immediately.

Something had happened between the two of them, but what?

Shaking her head she made her way down the stairs. She would figure it out eventually, but right now she needed to get to work. Maybe she could talk with Leifang about it later.

Getting her bike and going outside she took another quick look at her watch and headed out at a smart pace.

* * *

"Be right there!" Hitomi shouted cheerfully as she carried the empty beer mugs back to the bar. Placing them on the counter she massaged her wrists for a second and grabbed another pair of mugs, walking to the pair of customers that had ordered just a few seconds ago.

She passed one of her workmates who looked as exhausted as she felt right now. Having to carry those mugs all day did that to you, after all they weighed a good 2.2 kilograms if filled. Actually that girl was probably more exhausted since she didn't have the stamina that Hitomi had.

"Here you go." she said and placed the mugs in front of the two men, smiling at them charmingly. The men smiled in return and one of them handed her a five euro note saying "For the charming little lady."

She thanked them and did a playful curtsy, which had become a trademark of her, and walked back to get the next set, since the orders weren't stopping anytime soon.

It was the final day and there was still no end to be seen. In fact it seemed to be even busier than yesterday and she was constantly on her feet, not even having had time to sit down and talk with Leifang.

She had come almost everyday during those two weeks, always sitting at the same place and never ordering anything. Just sitting there and watching her surroundings.

And after another hour of walking back and forth, trying her best to be charming and occasionally cute, her girlfriend appeared in her view and, of course, sat down on her usual place. Somehow she had the impeccable luck that it had always cleared by the time she came by.

Now that Hitomi thought about it, weren't the guys sitting there Chinese as well?

_Ah, doesn't matter I guess._ She thought and walked over to her boss.

"Can I take my break soon?" she asked and leaned over the counter so that he could hear her better. Her boss was a nice man with graying hair and a rather impressive mustache that curled at the ends.

He looked at her, then at the crowd sitting there, then nodded. "It's starting to clear up, so yes you can take your break after you deliver these." he placed two mugs on the counter. "And make it a little longer, as compensation for yesterday." he added, giving her a wink.

"Thanks!" with new vigor and a spring in her step she delivered the beer then headed to where the Chinese was sitting and sat down in front of her.

"Hey." she greeted her a little out of breath.

"Hey." Leifang gave her a kind look and placed her hand on top of Hitomi's. "Everything alright? You look exhausted."

She was, very much in fact, but she didn't want Leifang to be overly worried and had some plans for the day. "It's alright. I'm just a bit beat, nothing a good night's sleep won't fix." Hitomi turned her hand over so that their palms were touching. "So I was thinking, when I'm finished here in a few hours why don't we meet up and do something together?"

"Like what?" Leifang asked and presented her with a smile, even though her eyes still held a little worry in them.

"Hmm how about I come over and make us a nice little dinner? We could watch some movies as well. A romantic evening just with the two of us."

"Sounds wonderful. But I haven't bought groceries yet." Leifang said. It had taken a bit of practice at first but she was starting to get used to going shopping for food. That was usually something her housekeeper had done for her.

"Ah don't worry I'll take care of that." she said, lowering her voice a little in an attempt to be flirtatious.

"Is that so? Well then I'll be eagerly waiting." The worry finally vanished from her eyes as she leaned forward.

"Mhm, alright. First I'm gonna head home though, can't exactly come over sweating buckets and dressed like this."

"Aww." Leifang pouted at that. "You know how cute you look in that. Meanie."

Hitomi stuck out her tongue. Then she put her other hand over Leifang's. They remained that way for the rest of their conversation.

* * *

A few hours later Hitomi finally got off from work and headed home on her bike. Man was she glad it was over, but she had made more than those five-thousand euro, so it paid off that she busted her ass working.

Her feet were killing her though and if someone checked her blood pressure the sphygmomanometer would go through the roof.

Back in her apartment she discarded her Dirndl into the laundry, together with the clothes she had thrown to the floor this morning, and took a quick shower, put on some fresh clothes as well as her white and green jacket and headed out again to buy groceries.

That took another hour of her time, since she wanted top notch ingredients for that dinner.

_Finally here_. Hitomi said to herself as she got off her bike, pushing it the rest of the way until she got to the door, then rang the bell. It didn't take long for her to be buzzed in and she rode the elevator up.

She looked at herself in the reflection of the mirror that was part of the wall of the elevator and, aside from wondering how an apartment building could afford THAT, found that she was looking way better than earlier this day. The shower had also helped reinvigorate her a bit so that she could last for a few more hours now, even though her muscles still ached here and there and she could feel the stress of the day.

The German stepped out of the elevator and was met halfway to the door by Leifang, whom she greeted with a kiss on the cheek. "I'll just take these into the kitchen and get started." she said.

"Don't you want to sit down first?" Leifang asked as she closed the door to her apartment. She wore a simple white t-shirt and blue shorts. But even dressed like that she was the picture of beauty to her.

"No, I'll better get started now, this might take a little bit." she said and when Leifang offered her a pair of comfortable looking slippers she added. "Thanks. My feet are killing me."

She put them on and headed off into the kitchen. While she cooked dinner she wondered how she could break the subject of Viktor to Leifang without giving her the chance to dodge the subject anymore. But the only thing she came up with was stubbornly persisting on it.

Sighing she continued cooking and when she was finished carried the plates into the living room with a feeling that they may face more trouble in paradise.

* * *

Hitomi and Leifang shared a quiet dinner with one another. The German had to smile when she saw that Leifang had decorated the table a little and brought candles to make the mood even more romantic. It made her almost forget what she wanted to talk about.

"This was fantastic." Leifang said and placed her cutlery on the plate. She reached out towards her hand and interlaced their fingers, giving her a smile. "You've clearly outdone yourself this time."

"It was nothing really. Just a little extra ingredient." Hitomi said and smiled in return.

"Which one?"

"I'll keep that a little secret for now."

"Unfair, you can't just mention something like that then not tell me about it."

"But I already did." They both shared a laugh at that and Hitomi tightened her grip on Leifang's hand. The Karateka locked gazes with her girlfriend. She was very beautiful today and even though she only wore casual clothes tonight she spotted a hint of make up on her.

Biting the inside of her lower lip she lowered her gaze again. She needed to talk to her. "Hey Leifang..."

"Hmm?"

"I...Be honest with me, has something happened between you and Viktor?" she asked.

Taken aback Leifang pulled her hand back. "I...so what was that secret ingredient now?" she tried to change the subject immediately. Leifang really didn't want to talk about this. How would you tell your girlfriend that she had a fight with one of her friends?

"No Leifang. I'm not going down that road again. I know something has happened between you two and I was willing to wait until you decided to tell me, but not anymore."

Leifang looked around frantically. "Really there's nothing. He's probably upset about som-"

"Leifang!" Hitomi slammed her hand on the table. " . ?" she emphasized on every word.

The Chinese took a deep breath and released it as a sigh, placing her elbows onto the table, and buried her face in her palms. She had hoped to delay this talk a little longer. _Time to come clean._

"Yes." she said slowly. "Viktor and I. We've gotten into a fight two weeks ago. But that wasn't the start of it. When I returned we had a small argument as well. And on that Saturday we both stepped over the line. I'm not going to pretend that I was innocent, but he was also at fault."

Hitomi sat there and listened to what she said as a frown formed on her face as what the Chinese said sunk in.

"I don't want to repeat what we said on that day. But this is the reason why he's avoiding us. Well he's more likely avoiding me since we're always together during lunch." Leifang let out another sigh and her shoulders dropped, a crestfallen expression on her face. "I'm sorry."

"This is incredibly unfair, do you know that?" Hitomi said, neither kindly nor angrily. She just said it. "You tell me all the time that I should share everything with you and here you are keeping this a secret from me."

"I know, I know." Leifang admitted with her eyes downcast. "But I had no idea how I should break this to you. I mean how would you act in my place?"

The Karateka couldn't answer that. Leifang was right it wasn't as simple as saying "Hey your friend and I? Yeah we kinda hate each other but we're still going on a date, right?" but that didn't stop her from getting angry at Leifang.

Hitomi leaned back in her seat. Didn't Leifang realize that they were both important to her?

Viktor was a good friend to her and Leifang was her best friend and the person she wanted to be with. The idea of them fighting was killing her. Hitomi stared at Leifang, who sat there and looked at everything but her.

It really hurt.

_What am I supposed to do now? _There wasn't really anything she could do. Not right now.

Leifang felt completely miserable. This was supposed to be a romantic evening for the two of them and how did it turn out?

She glanced at Hitomi from the corner of her eyes. The German sat there looking deep in thought, her arms crossed in front of her chest and a grim expression had formed on her face. Leifang could already picture her trying to make them apologize to each other but she wouldn't even dream of doing that.

This had become a matter of pride these past weeks. It was her stubbornness, she knew that, it was a trait she had inherited from her mother and she would probably never lose. Besides it was him that avoided her like a plague, not vice versa so her taking the first step was pretty much impossible.

Hitomi sighed and uncrossed her arms, sitting upright again and shook her head. She knew she could convince them to make peace, but she was just so damn tired and stressed right now.

"I should go." Hitomi said quietly, making Leifang's head shoot up.

"What? No no, wait. What about our plans?" she asked and got up from her seat, walking around the table and blocking Hitomi's way to get out. The brunette shook her head and got up from her seat as well, placing her hands on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Sorry, but I think I need some space tonight." she said and pushed her to the side, heading for the door. Leifang didn't waste a second and ran after her.

"Please wait!" she grabbed Hitomi's wrist. This caused the Karateka to turn around, pulling Leifang with her. They lost their balance a little and Hitomi felt her back hitting the wall as Leifang fell against her.

They stared at one another, their lips only a few centimeters away from touching. Hitomi could almost hear her heartbeat going a mile a minute and she could see the various emotions reflect in those brown orbs. She wanted to close the gap so much.

Unconsciously she wrapped her arms around Leifang as the Chinese dug her fingers into her shirt and she knew that if their lips met she wouldn't go anywhere tonight, her anger would dissipate as if it was never there to begin with.

God, how much she wanted that right now.

_Kiss me_ Hitomi demanded inside her mind. _Just kiss me dammit!_

But she didn't.

"I...I really should go." Hitomi muttered and pushed Leifang gently off her.

Leifang bit her lower lip and could see the sadness in the brunette's eyes, but didn't stop her. After they straightened up Hitomi put on her jacket and shoes and turned to look at her a last time.

"Bye." Hitomi said and all but ran from her apartment. All Leifang could do was lean with her back against the wall.

"Idiot." the Chinese muttered to herself. "You're so stupid Leifang."

Hitomi didn't bother using the elevator and just hurried down the staircase. Nearly stumbling she grabbed the handrail to steady herself and continued downward and out of the door. Outside she grabbed her bike and rode off.

A headache was approaching, she could feel it, and the weight of the day was finally starting to drag her down. She looked up at the sky, starless due to the town's light. _Why can't things be simple for once?_

Yes, simple would be good. Like back in the day...

A small smile formed on her lips and she decided to make another detour before heading home. Her detour led her to the outskirts of town, almost to where the Black Forest was starting. It was a large meadow, with a few trees scattered across it.

She laid her bike on the edge of it and headed towards one of the trees. It was very easy to spot since it was the only weeping willow around. Coming to a halt in front of it she placed the palm of her right hand against its bark, tracing over it.

This was where she and Hayate had their picnic. Back then things had been simple. No Ninjas, no Dead or Alive tournament and no relationship problems.

She smiled. Well maybe a few relationship problems of a different kind, but it was still simpler back then. Only her father, Hayate and herself. Suddenly she found herself traveling down memory lane.

* * *

"_Osu!" Hitomi shouted with the rest of her class as they bowed respectfully before their sensei. She had a cheerful smile on her face and wiped a few droplets of sweat from her brow as she walked towards the changing room together with her other female classmates. While walking she threw a shy glance towards Ein who was deeply engrossed in conversation with her father at the moment._

_All of a sudden he looked into her direction, fixing her with his gaze, giving her one of his slight smiles and causing her to blush._

_Damn it, she had been caught!_

_As if she wasn't nervous enough already. A few days ago Hitomi had finally worked up the courage to ask him out to a picnic since she couldn't get out the word 'date' at the time._

_And he agreed to it. Hitomi couldn't be happier. With a stupid grin on her face she headed into the shower together with the others._

"_Hey, Hitomi?" one of them asked her while they showering. "Do you want to go shopping together?"_

"_Don't bother." another one said. "She's gonna go on a _date_ later."_

"_What? Who's the lucky guy?"_

"_Um, really it's not like that." Hitomi said, already becoming red again._

"_It's Ein of course." the second one said._

"_What!? Damn, can't blame her. He's a cutie." _

_Oh god, Hitomi just wanted to die right then and there, but since that wasn't an option she did the second best thing and showered as quickly as she could and headed home._

_They lived about fifteen minutes away from the dojo by bike, so Hitomi would have a little head start on Ein and her father. The amnesiac young man has been living with them ever since Hitomi had found him during a little walk on the outskirts of the Black Forest._

_She supposed she was rather lucky. Not many girls had the chance to live under the same roof as their crushes. Hitomi had to giggle when she thought about the whole thing._

_At home she did what little homework she had left and started preparing the food that they would need, as well as drinks. _

And don't forget the blanket_ she told herself and put it into the picnic basket she had purchased solely for this occasion._

_By the time she was finished her father and Ein had gotten back. In a burst of confidence she had hooked her arm through Ein's and headed off with him._

"_Hey not so fast." he said in his calm voice, though she could also hear him chuckle._

"_Later Papa." she shouted back into the house and dragged Ein off. In the back of her mind she wondered if her father was suspecting something._

_She led him to a nice place that one of her schoolmates had suggested to her, a wide open meadow. When Hitomi had checked it herself she had instantly taken a liking to the weeping willow and decided that this would be the place._

_And here they were. Hitomi unpacked the things and rolled out the blanket so that they could sit down on it. They shared a nice little meal, talking about this and that, even though it was Hitomi doing most of the talking since Ein was a rather silent guy and Hitomi found him looking like he was far away with his thoughts._

_So she tried her best to take his mind off whatever he was thinking about. And for a little while she managed to take his thoughts off things._

* * *

Hitomi chuckled at the memory. She had been rather smitten with him back then, more so than with her other boyfriends before that. But in the end all her effort had been in vain, since his missing past had bothered him until the day he left to seek it out.

And he did, and became Hayate again in the process.

When she met him again in the Dead or Alive Tournament she had hoped that things would go back they way they used to be. But he had simply told her not to get involved because it was too dangerous and that she should go back home.

They were never meant to be. It had hurt at the time, and it did take a while before she had gotten over it. But with the help of Leifang she had managed it.

_Leifang_. She thought and looked up at the starry sky. She really wanted their relationship to work and unlike Hayate, whom she didn't even introduce to her friends at the time, they had crossed that line which made it all the more worth fighting for.

And all of a sudden she could feel the anger that she felt dissipate and it was replaced with a feeling of purpose. Tomorrow she would get Viktor and Leifang to apologize to each other. She cared for them and if they cared for her they would make the effort to bridge the gap that they had created.

She was about to head towards her bike when a sound made her stop.

It came from the other side of the tree.

The sound came again and, deciding to take a look, Hitomi circled around the tree and found...

"Ayane!?"

* * *

_**OMG! The sudden yet inevitable fight happened.  
Also cliffhangers are a bitch, ain't they?**_

_**See you next week.**_


End file.
